You no doubt have pondered those familiar lines, “We are the only Bible the careless world will read. We are the sinner’s gospel. We are the scoffer’s creed. We are the Lord’s last message, given in deed and word. What if the type is crooked, what if the print is blurred?”
Paul exhorted his protégé, Timothy, that he should let no man despise his youth: “But be thou an example (a stamp, pattern, print) of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (I Tim. 4:12)
What a challenge that is! To be a type—a model for imitation—that others can follow. Paul, in another epistle, said that believers should be followers of him, even as he also was of Christ. (I Cor. 11:1) Could you encourage your friends to follow yourself just as you were following Christ?
Notice the categories:
• A model of speech. James, half-brother of Jesus, said a lot about the tongue and about our speech. His main thesis is stated in James 1:19: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” Our speech should be tasteful—words fitly spoken—”like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” (Prov. 25:11). Our words should truthful as in “speaking the truth in love.” (Eph. 4:15) The tongue “defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature.” (James 3:6)
• A model of behavior (conversation)—which should be holy (I Pet. 1:15); honest (I Pet. 2:12); and winsome (I Pet. 3 :12).
Written by a young adult: “When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and immediately I wanted to paint another; When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals; When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life; When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in God. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who is sick, and I learned that we have to help and take care of one another; When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t; When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel well, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grew up; When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt and that it’s all right to cry. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, ‘Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.’” (author unknown)
• A model of love: without dissimulation (Rom.12:9); in deed, not just in word (I John 4:8) and in serving (Gal.5:13).
• A model in spirit—in the spirit of wisdom (Ex. 28:3), in a contrite spirit (Ps. 34:18), in a right spirit (Ps. 51:10), and in a broken spirit (Ps. 51:17).
Here is one example of the wrong kind of model in spirit: An organization had more than 500 employees, of whom 29 had been accused of spousal abuse; 7 had been arrested for fraud; 19 had been accused of writing bad checks; 117 had bankrupted at least two businesses; 3 had been arrested for assault; 71 could not get a credit card due to bad credit; 14 had been arrested for drug-related charges and 8 for shop-lifting; in one year alone, 84 were stopped for DWI. Can you imagine which organization this was? It was the United States Congress, the same people who crank out hundreds of new laws designed to keep the rest of us in line. (Indianapolis Star, 1/4/00)
• A model in faith—faith that is grounded, growing, and guarded. (Col. 2:6,7; Luke 17:5; I Tim. 6:12)
• A model in purity: blameless, clean, chaste.
Caution: Be wise about choosing a model to follow, and use common sense in following any model, or you may be embarrassed—as were some people from President Coolidge’s hometown who were invited to dinner at the White House. “They were unfamiliar with eating in such a place, so they agreed they would follow their model, President Coolidge. The time came for serving coffee. The President poured his coffee into a saucer. As soon as the home folk saw it, they did the same. The next step for the President was to pour some milk and add a little sugar to the coffee in the saucer. The home folk did the same. They thought for sure that the next step would be for the President to take the saucer with the coffee and begin sipping it. But the President didn’t do so. He leaned over, placed the saucer on the floor, and called the cat. Were they not all embarrassed? He may have been the President, but no one should have followed him blindly. There is One, however, who is absolutely trustworthy to follow, and that is Christ.” (copied)
We are the only Bible a careless world will read.
“Let no man despise thy youth: but be thou an example of the believer, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (I Tim. 4:12)
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matt. 24:35)