Be ye followers of me

[Terri Crowther]

I think that all of us are called to be leaders in the Body of Christ. We are to be examples to others and each of us have a circle of people in whom we have influence into their lives. This could include our family members, co-workers, neighbors, or those people whose lives we touch in our everyday walk such as the bank teller, grocery store cashier, and the list goes on and on. However, before we can really lead others, we must first learn to follow. Paul says in 1 Cor. 11:1 Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ (KJV). Before Paul could lead others, he first had to learn how to follow Christ. Somethimes it can be scary to think that someone may follow our examples, our lifestyle. But if we are following Christ and His example, we won't have to worry about others following us. Will we make mistakes? Yes, but if we are striving to be Christ-like, those mistakes will be lessons for us to learn, an opportunity to lean on the Lord and actually can be an encouragement to others that we all make mistakes, but as we repent and look to the Lord, He will use those mistakes, those shortcomings, to bring Glory to Him. Keep your eyes focused on Christ, follow Him, and when you turn around, you may be surprised who is following your example. Be blessed!

[Sarah Goebel]

Great Word, Terri. No one walks perfectly but as we ourselves are focused on Christ we learn when following others, especially those who are in leadership positions in our lives, to distinguish between those things that are God's ways and that are not. We follow the good examples and ignore the not so good remembering that we all fall short of the glory of God. And, you know...the best thing we can do to follow Christ is to abide in Him (John 15:5), "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he (A)bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."

[Valerie Ann Hammond]

Terri,
Thank you for that encouragement! What hits home for me is the part about making mistakes-alot of times I am leary of stepping out in faith and doing something because I am afraid of making the wrong decisions. But God is teaching me that if I follow his standards in my decisions he will protect me. If I make a wrong decision he will help me to recognize whats wrong and lead me in the right direction. This truth is helping me to step out and trust him with what I am doing. If I didn't know this, I would be afraid to do anything! Proverbs 3:6 "Seek his will in all you do and he will direct your paths."
Thanks
Love Valerie