Do Not Follow Too Closely

Tuesday 10/1/2013 5:30 AM

I have long been impressed by Paul’s words in Philippians 4:9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice.”  He also makes a bold statement in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”  In both passages he encourages his readers to use him as a role model; to mold their lives to look like his.  I have never had the courage to say that to others, realizing that I often fall short of the mark in my life.  I have moments where I live in a way that is consistent with the teachings of Jesus, when I consider others better than myself and put their needs above my own, but too much of the time I live selfishly without considering the impact my behavior has on those around me.

Lately my example is a very poor one to follow.  My life is undisciplined in nearly every way.  My regular routine of daily exercise has fallen by the wayside.  My time of reading the Bible and listening to God each morning before I begin the day is nearly nonexistent.  I have stopped participating in the men’s Bible study at our church and I resigned my position as storyteller in our church’s Children and Worship ministry.  My relationship with Jaci is not what it should be because of my messed up schedule at school which takes me away from home two nights a week and makes me so tired that when I am home I do little but sleep.  It seems I have less energy to invest in the relationship and it suffers as a result.

The other day I was driving and saw a sign on the back of a truck that read, “Frequent stops.  Do not follow too closely.”  I immediately thought it would be an appropriate sign to wear myself.  Someone desiring to follow Christ and live a life that parallels the life God desires for his people would do well to avoid my example like the plague.  Following me at this point in my life would be like trying to move forward while taking on step forward and two steps backward.  I would like to be an example to others but for now nothing could be farther from the truth.  My advice to others is, “Do not follow too closely.”