Philippians 4:9 New Living Translation (NLT)
9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
I think one thing people have to work on today is getting over the “it’s my life and I’m not hurting anyone” mentality. Accountability has kind of gone out the window when it comes to people today. For some reason, we have thrown out the idea that we are somewhat responsible for the influence we make on people’s live.
I hear celebrities say that they didn’t choose to be role models. As true as that may be, that doesn’t change the fact that they are. And that we all are to someone. Whether it was a decision we made or not. Choosing to say we are making a certain decision or not choosing to say it doesn’t take away from the fact that either way the decision has been made.
That’s why when I read Paul’s words and he says put into practice what you heard from me and saw me do, I am amazed. I think I’m a good person, but I’m not confident enough to say that I want people to mimic my ways and my words. And I think that is an important place to get to in life. A place when you can confidently say I’ve lived the best I can, I’ve done God’s will, and you can do the same by following my footsteps. And the footsteps I followed were His.
I’m not there yet. I want to be, but I’m not. But just because I’m not all the way there doesn’t mean I will never get there. It just means I have some more learning and growing to do. And I think the biggest replica I would want to leave behind for anyone would be to be obedient to God.
Paul knew he had done some wrong, but he also knew that once he knew better, and knew God’s will, he had no choice but to be obedient to it.
If we aren’t going to be obedient to God then what are we doing? If God tells us to do something, are we going to give all the reasons we can’t, or the one reason we can? Him.
If we aren’t going to live lives knowing that someone is watching and learning from us, then what exactly are we doing? After all, our greatest testimonies are the lives we live. And if that life isn’t for God, what’s the point?