| Friday, March 15 | Read Philippians 3:17-20 |
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 20)
Role Models
Today’s reading from the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians reminds us that we are citizens of heaven and are to keep our minds on heavenly things rather than earthly things. He also offers himself as an example to follow in leading the earthly life while preparing for heaven.
This reminds me of one of my first international trips, this one to jolly old England. Being a brave young man, I rented a car for my travels, thinking that driving on the left side of the road would be no problem. As it was late at night leaving the airport, there was very little traffic on the roads and soon enough I found myself driving on the right side of the road instead of the left! I was nervous about driving the next morning with the roads full of other traffic. What I found, though, was that having other drivers on the road kept me in the correct lane. Having a good example to follow kept me safe and on the right path when traveling in a foreign land.
As children of God and citizens of heaven, our lives on earth are something like journeys to a foreign land. Paul asks us to imitate him, just as he imitated Christ. We also have contemporary examples in Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr. and many others who can be guides for us as we live out our lives. Examples can be as close as your mother, a Sunday school teacher or someone else you see every day.
Not only should we look for other examples to follow, but we also need to be mindful that others may be looking to us as examples even though we may not think of ourselves as role models. I can recall being surprised at the dinner table seeing my 2-year-old son leaning back in his chair after cleaning his plate, raising his hands and resting them behind his head, fingers interlocked and elbows sticking out – thoroughly enjoying the end of the meal. My wife wasn’t surprised, though. She pointed out that I did that almost every night.
There are many earthly temptation and diversions to occupy our minds, but we need to remember that the end goal for our time on earth is to prepare for citizenship in heaven. Find an example to follow, and be sure to set a good example for those who follow you.
Laurel Davis
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