As a young child, I remember playing a game with my friends called “Follow The Leader.” The goal was to keep up with the first person in a line. The first person in line also had a goal: to make it as difficult as possible for others to follow him or her!
In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul writes, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” The good news about following Christ is that He doesn’t make it as difficult as He can for us to follow Him. He not only invites each of us to follow Him; He also has given us His Spirit to enable us to do it. There are several truths found in this scripture that can help us in our daily walk with God.
The first truth we see is that we are to follow Christ. We do this in many different ways such as reading the Bible, thinking/meditating on what the Bible says, responding to situations according to the scriptures, talking and listening to God (aka prayer), serving others, and being an active part of a local church where we give and receive. In short, we’re following Christ when we make His way of living our way of living.
The second thing we see is that we are to follow the example of those who are committed to following Christ. It’s important that we pattern our lives after those we consider to be mature Christians, whose lives display a sincere love for God and love for people. While no person can give you a perfect example to follow, there are probably a number of people around you who are committed to Christ and committed to obeying His Word and His will for their lives. Learn as much as you can from their example.
The third truth found in this scripture is that some people are following our example. You probably know of some of the people that you influence, but there are many others – possibly the majority of those following you – that you aren’t aware of. Everything you say and do becomes extremely important when you understand that there may be someone following in your footsteps. Many people don’t read the Bible but they’re watching your life. God isn’t looking for perfection in you, that’s entirely unattainable. But what is attainable is living a lifestyle that draws others to Him, and gives others a path to follow if they want to be like Him. Start where you’re at as you live the life He planned for you to live.
Today, make it a priority to follow Christ, to follow those who are following Him, and to give others a godly example to follow!
