The Path of the Good Example

"My son...observe my ways." (Proverbs 23:26 ASV)


Enjoy this devotional about setting a godly example written by Rev. Roger J. Andrus:


The Path of the Good Example

Beginners, whether we are talking about children or new converts, should be learners and they need a good example.

The story is told of a man who loved mountain climbing. Each year when he took his vacation, he and his family would rent a high villa up on the Swiss Alps and he would enjoy the climb to the many scenic heights all around. One early morning, when he was already some distance on his chosen route and was rounding a particularly dangerous section of his climb, he was nearly paralyzed with fear as he heard the voice of his little boy behind him, who he thought was at home and fast asleep, say "Choose a safe path for your feet, Daddy, I'm right behind you."

Mature Christians are practiced in doing right, and they are not afraid of being observed. No believer should say, "Do as I say and not as I do." The apostle Paul had the right view when he said, "Follow me as I follow Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1).

Solomon often used the term son in speaking to his students. That is his use of the word here. Each instructed believer is a teacher for the less instructed around him. His life should be an open book approvable to God and man. Then he, too, can fearlessly say, "Observe my ways."

Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity 
(1 Tim. 4:12). 


For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you (John 13:15).

I am weakness, full of weakness,

At Thy sacred feet I bow;

Blest, divine, eternal Spirit,

Fill with pow'r, and fill me now.

----E. R. Stokes

Mere Christianity Quotes (p. 45-46)

Here is another excerpt from the book Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis:

One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe--a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death and disease, and sin. The difference is that Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created, and went wrong. Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel.

Enemy-occupied territory--that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church you are really listening-in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going. He does it by playing on our conceit and laziness and intellectual snobbery. I know someone will ask me, "Do you really mean, at this time of day, to re-introduce our old friend the devil--hoofs and horns and all?" Well, what the time of day has to do with it I do not know. And I am not particular about the hoofs and horns. But in other respects my answer is "Yes, I do." I do not claim to know anything about his personal appearance. If anybody really wants to know him better I would say to that person, "Don't worry. If you really want to, you will. Whether you'll like it when you do is another question."

Quick Praise (Ps. 66:4)

All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name. (Psalm 66:4) NKJV

Go ahead...Sing praises to His name! The whole world is doing it!

Mere Christianity Quotes (p. 38-39)

Here is a quote from the Christian classic Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis:

And, of course, that raises a very big question. If a good God made the world why has it gone wrong? And for many years I simply refused to listen to the Christian answers to this question, because I kept feeling 'whatever you say, and however clever your arguments are, isn't it much simpler and easier to say that the world was not made by any intelligent power? Aren't all your arguments simply a complicated attempt to avoid the obvious?' But then that threw me back into another difficulty.

My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of  a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it? A man feels wet when he falls into water, because man is not a water animal: a fish would not feel wet. Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too--for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist--in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless--I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality--namely my idea of justice--was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be a word without meaning.

Quick Praise (Ps. 66:8)

Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard. (Psalm 66:8) NKJV

Come Christians join to sing...Loud praise to Christ our King!

Ezekiel

Then the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner courtyard, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple. (Ezekiel 43:5) NLT

The following is a worship profile from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House. It is a great study bible for all who want to learn more about biblical praise and worship. Let's see what we can learn from the life of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel's life spanned the watershed years of Judah's history: the fall of Jerusalem and the Exile. Because of his lineage, Ezekiel was a priest for God's people, but in 597 B.C., he became a prophet as well. Ezekiel's message has two themes: judgment and restoration. The first theme was intended to dispel the exiles' mistaken expectation of a quick return to Jerusalem. The second theme, however, reassured the exiles that there would be a return someday and that Jerusalem would be rebuilt, thus giving the people hope. Ezekiel was a man of both strange visions and strange actions. Because he was dealing with a people who had grown numb to the truth, he occasionally performed exotic acts to draw attention to his messages from the Lord. In one instance, he lay on his side for over a year to illustrate his point!

Ezekiel the Worshiper

The glory of God occupies a central place in Ezekiel's prophecy. Judah's chronic pattern of sin compels God's glory to depart from the Temple (Ez. 8:6; 10:1-2). Yet the message of restoration that begins in chapter 39 reaches its climax when the Lord returns to a glorious new Temple (Ez. 43:5).

Like other prophets, Ezekiel comforts his people with the message that their suffering will be turned to joy. This joy will be realized in a splendid festival of worship in which all idols will be put aside and God's people will turn to Him once again. Thus, amidst deportation and devastation, Ezekiel was able to envision a new beginning for true worship of the Lord.

Learning from Ezekiel

Ezekiel's prophecy illustrates that the worship of God can take place anywhere. It transcends physical boundaries because God himself can be present anywhere.

Ezekiel reminds us that God's Spirit and his Word are present wherever his people come together in true worship.

Ezekiel preached a message of both judgment and hope. While we must recognize our sin, we can rest in the hope of God's forgiveness and find security in his promise of restoration.

Following the Example

Meditate on chapter 43 of Ezekiel's prophecy. Imagine witnessing the scene that the prophet saw: the glory of the Lord appearing in his Temple. Consider what it was like to hear God's comforting words spoken amidst the dazzling splendor: "I will remain here forever, living among the people of Israel" (Ez. 43:7). Then reflect on God's law for the Temple: absolute holiness (43:12). In humility, thank the Lord as you gather with other believers this week. Bless him for inviting you to share in that glory, and ask him to help you live a blameless life.