THESE DO
Thursday 23
“The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:9 (NKJV)
READ: Philippians 4:8,9; 2 Timothy 2:1–13
Apostle Paul in this verse of our text was talking about followership. When your heart is stirred by God to be committed to a particular leader and you are following, you definitely learn a number of things through the person’s life. In fact, intuitively, you would just see yourself replicating some of the things you saw the leader doing. Humans are relational. When you are relating, you cannot but be influenced, either positively or negatively. This is the reason why you have to carefully choose whoever to relate with. The best in relating is that you follow whom you are stirred by God to follow.
Note:
• It is a thing that you should not be casual about.
• It is not what you do without careful consideration.
Apostle Paul was telling the believers in Philippi to do the things which they had learned and received and heard him saying and seen him doing, and the God of peace will be with them (Philippians 4:9). This fact cannot be shunned off, “humans are shaped by others”. You follow some people’s faith to get to where you are going: “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of god to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.”
Hebrews 13:7 (NKJV)
And this is largely determined by the kind of person or people you allow into your space, or the person or people you choose to follow and pattern your life after (1 Corinthians 4:16). If you pattern your life after a wrong person or people, the outcome would be there to see after a period of time. And, if on the other hand, the person or people you pattern your life after is a good person, the outcome would also be there to see (Philippians 3:17-19).
Albeit, as a believer in Christ, whoever you are patterning your life after should be someone who is following God through Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1). Some people have patterned their lives after one celebrity or another who does not know God, but they ended up becoming a wasting their lives. Pattern your life after the people who have walked with God, both those in the Bible and those with proven records in our contemporary time (2 Thessalonians 3:7,9; Hebrews 13:7).
Apostle Paul knew he was following Christ, which is why he was bold enough to encourage others to follow him as he was following Christ: “BE YE FOLLOWERS OF ME, EVEN AS I ALSO AM OF CHRIST” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Whoever you are following, make sure the person is following Christ Jesus. Ultimately, Jesus Christ should be the standard and the One whom every believer patterns his or her life after (2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:13; Hebrews 12:2).
Note;
• Learning is mostly done through reading and listening to the teachings of the person you have chosen to follow.
• Learning is also done through observations.
• If the text, Philippians 4:9, is considered very carefully, Apostle Paul says: things you learned, things you received, things you heard, things you saw in me. Now, learning is done through followership. And followership is done through reading, hearing and observation.
• When you are learning through someone’s writings, you surely will be imparted and receive something—the grace on him will be extended to you.
• Also, when you are listening to someone’s teachings, you surely will hear something—the grace on him will rub off on you.
• And when you are privileged to see someone physically and you are following him, serving under him, you surely will observe and see something—the grace on him will be imparted to you (Numbers 27:18–20; Deuteronomy 34:9; 2 Kings 2:9–15).
It is those good things you learned, received, heard and saw that you are being admonished to go and do and practise.
REFLECT:
• Who are the people of faith whose lives and teachings you are following?
• Are they people who are genuinely following Christ, and is the fruit of their lives evident?
Peace.
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