Examples to the Flock

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 1 Corinthians. 11:1

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:1-3

I have heard it said: What one generation allows in moderation, the next generation practices in excess. I still have this idea in my head about being examples to those around us. People watch us as I said in a recent blog how my grandson imitates me in guzzling a bottle of water. People will follow the leadership of a church. It is so important that leaders follow Christ, in fact the first scripture above says to be imitators. I am having a hard time writing this. We are not to be wielding a big club in our hands and driving people but showing the way. Out in front, living examples of how to overcome temptation such as is common to man. I have heard it said,  you see the same people at the club on Saturday night and in the church on Sunday morning. how are we to be examples if we are doing the same stuff? I keep getting a picture of me with a big club in my hands.  How do I convey this thought in love? When I was a lead on the job, I didn't ask my crew to do anything I wasn't willing to do myself, I tried to lead by example. I  come from a very legalistic background, and I think that is why I have such a hard time with this. I don't want to come from that legalistic background. I want to come from what I experienced at the hands of my Lord and Savior. When you look at Jesus confronting sin in followers, he did it with love. Jesus is our ultimate example.  I think of the woman at the well in Samaria. Jesus told her about her life. She was currently living with someone who she was not married to. Had been married 5 times. When she left the encounter with Jesus, she was excited about meeting a man that told her everything she had done. She didn't feel condemned, she felt uplifted. Jesus had touched her heart. This story is found in John chapter 4. I  can tell what I did in my own life better than anything else. Jesus dealt with me over a period of time. I remember being so lonely having been married and then found myself divorced. I think I understand this woman even though I am a man. I found myself as a Christ follower in a sinful relationship. I would feel convicted about it and struggled with that sin in my life for a while. I had to take it to the altar. Again and again I came to God. God loved me through it. If we do not leave our sin behind us, how do we expect those watching us to leave theirs. It is through Christ who strengthens me. A repentant heart is what we need. God forgive me a sinner. Here I think of the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying side by side. The Pharisee praying and telling God how he is not like the tax collector praying next to him. Telling God all he is doing. The tax collector is saying God be merciful to me a sinner. King David, O how I use to like to point to King David and his sin with Bathsheba to excuse my own sin. God was not OK with what David did. God confronted David and David repented. When God confronts us with our sin, do we repent and turn from our wicked ways? Let us be like the tax collector in Luke 18, repenting, asking God for mercy in contrast to the Pharisee telling God everything he did according to the law.  Can we say, follow me as I follow Christ? Have we grown from our baby face into maturity, where we start looking, start resembling our Savior? Do I resemble Jesus? Have I taken on his characteristics as I have walked for a while as a follower of Christ?  I think of the Woman at Sychar telling her friends about a man that told her all that she ever did. Has my encounter changed me? Help me to be like thee o Lord. Change my heart and my life to show thy characteristics, that I might say, follow me as I follow Christ. God bless, LVZ.