Who Is Your Guide?

Scripture:

Phil. 3:17   Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.

Observation:

The church of the first century was just developing. These letters of Paul would become the earliest writings to become a part of the New Testament. Often they were passed around from one group to another so that they could devour Paul’s words. Therefore, the idea of a guide for the spiritual journey was vitally important. People needed someone to show them the way. 

Paul’s invitation is for his readers to join in imitating him. He does this after he has putforth the pattern of the life of Christ, and that Paul tries to live his own life like Christ. Therefore, since Paul is still present on earth, he invites the believers to join with him in his imitation of Christ. Together they form a collective witness to the life of Christ and become guides for the people to follow. 

Application:

Whether intentional or not, most of us have guides in our lives. I know that I have looked to both my parents and to church leaders to be guides for my life. I confess my disappointment in individuals when I have been let down by a behavior that was uncharacteristic of Christ. That wasn’t true of my parents because they were just as authentic on the inside as they were on the outside. They may not have always gotten everything right, but their hearts and their motivations were in the right place. 

Years ago the Roman Philosopher Seneca wrote, “Choose as a guide one whom you will admire more when you see him act than when you hear him speak” (Epistle 52.8, cited by Malherbe 1986, 63–64) (Flemming, NBBC, 261). I think that’s amazingly good advice for us today. Somehow our world has given extraordinary weight to words and seems to be ignoring actions. Paul never said, “speak like me as I try to preach like Jesus.” Imitation of Christ had to do with behavior that would be defined by humility. The incarnational pathway provided by the life of Christ is the one we are to follow, and along the way we ought to seek out guides.

There are those who have gone before us whom we may consider “giants” of the faith. In many ways their lives become guides for us today. At the same time, I wonder whether we have contemporary guides. Far too often we think it’s arrogant to imagine that we could be a guide for someone else, but has that become an excuse. Maybe we don’t have a guide because we don’t want anyone to be holding us accountable in our Christian walk. For the same reason, we may not want to serve as a guide, because there may certain expectations, and we may be comfortable with a mediocre Christian life. What Paul places before us is significant and challenging. We are to find guides who will push us on to becoming more like Christ and we are to be guiding others to do the same. Who is your guide?

Prayer:

Lord, may I not shrink back from the challenge of imitating you and may I be willing to have those in my life who will hold me accountable. Amen.