Being An Example - Indirectly

Photo by Ben White
Written by Charles S. Head

Scripture Reading: 
Matthew 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do we light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven
 
As Believers, we have a great responsibility as representatives and ambassadors for Christ.  Our duty is to carry out both salt and light to those whom we come in contact with daily and on a consistent basis.

Though we aren’t perfect, we must align ourselves with God’s Word out of obedience, with the application in our personal lives.  The world has been given a right by our Heavenly Father to watch us as examples in order to make them hungry and a thirsty for the Christ within us, without striving, but yet leading by example.

Jesus gives us the instructions in Matthew 5:14-16 and reads “Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.  Neither do we light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven!!”
Sometimes we take for granted those in our family who are around us constantly, but we shouldn’t because these verses do not exclude our family, but all.  I am a firm believer that as God’s people we should have a daily prayer life and also take time to read God’s Word.  This should be a part of our life for both maturity and strengthening our relationship with the Lord.

One particular morning, recently, I was having my morning prayer time alone with the Lord.  After praying for a few minutes, I kept hearing these noises in the room around me.  As I looked around and beside me, I realized it was my 8-year old grandson who as quietly as he could tiptoed in the room and kneeled down right beside me.  This made my heart leap for joy, just to know that he was interested in praying like his grandfather.
This experience melted my heart, but at the same time awakened me to the fact that I have a greater accountability and responsibility to lead by example to both my family and others.  Yes, our family may see our faults more than others, but it does not excuse us from obeying God.
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We all need to ask ourselves the question, “Am I being an example or not?”  If not, as long as we have a breath in our body, it’s not too late to change.  With God’s help it can be done.  Both our family and others are watching us, it’s up to us to be he salt to make them thirsty and the light to show them way.

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