Slideshow image

1 Corinthians 11:1

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

We have, at some point in our lives, all played games such as Follow the Leader or Simon Says; between the two, the most difficult game was Simon Says. The rules for these games were simple, however depending on the individual leading the game it could be very difficult. Personally, I have never won a game of Simon Says but it was fun playing as a kid. Leaving the games aside, we focus now on our Christian life and the importance of having a mentor, or a person we can imitate, in our life. So that, down the road someone else can be mentored by us.

We have many examples in the Bible of mentorship. For example, we have Moses and Joshua; Moses prepared Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the promised land. We have the example of Naomi and Ruth; Naomi’s faith in the true and living God impacted the life of Ruth the Moabite. Another example is Elijah and Elisha; Elijah, before he was taken up to heaven, mentored the young prophet Elisha for his ministry. Finally in the New Testament we have the example of Paul and Timothy; in Acts chapters 16 and 19 we read that Timothy traveled with Paul on his second and third missionary journey. The apostle Paul, through his letters, encouraged and provided theological instruction for Timothy.

In the letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul tells them to imitate his life as he imitates the life of Christ. We are all in need of godly people in our lives that we can imitate. I thank the Lord for godly men and women that have modeled before us how to live for Christ. One person that has impacted the way I do ministry is my former Pastor, Sandy Williams, born in the Islands of San Andreas. He was a Pastor in my former church for 43 years. He was a professor in seminary and taught philosophy at a community college. Though he was highly educated, he was one of the humblest people I have ever met. His example of service to others and love for the Lord has impacted my life till this day.

Mentorship is an important aspect of our Christian walk; we see numerous examples in the Bible. It is important to acknowledge our need for good role models of godly living. First, let us learn from and imitate the life of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the perfect example. Second, let us look unto other godly men and women that seek to follow Jesus. Finally, allow us to model to a younger generation what it’s like to imitate Christ.