Here is an excerpt from the message I shared at chapel this morning in our series Trustworthy Sayings, from 1 Timothy.
In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul encourages Timothy to set an example for other followers of Jesus of how he should, or could, live.
Ok… cool stuff… there’s two ways this phrase set an example can be understood.
One. It can refer to an imprint that is left because of an impact.
Think of a footprint left in the snow. The other day I went down to my chicken coop and in the fresh, heavy, wet snow there were these beautiful footprints left in a trail coming from out in the field and up to the area where my chickens are. I could see where the animal had walked all around the chicken coop, and where it left to wander back to where it came from. And I could see clearly–because of the imprint it’s feet left in the snow–that it was a possum. The clearly defined toes, and all the details I could see… their shape reflected what it was. I could tell because of the imprint left by the impact of it’s feet.
So let me ask you this… what kind of imprint do you leave as you go about your life? What does it say about who you are? What does it say about what kind of person you are?
Because here’s the truth: we all leave an impact. And the question is, what shape is it? Is it jagged around the edges? Is it broken or incomplete? Does it show signs of healing? Does it indicate that you have purpose and direction?
We all leave an imprint, we all have some kind of impact. And that’s one way to think about the example Paul is talking about.
Two. The other way is to think about it not as the imprint that is left behind, but as a form or shape which can be filled to create a copy of the first thing.
One of my historical heroes is Abraham Lincoln. He was a fascinating man, from a difficult background, who decided he was going to learn, even teach himself, and that he was going to have an impact on his world… of course he did. He left an imprint that is still remembered today. As the 16th president he led our nation through the Civil War, and he signed the 13th amendment to abolish slavery.
So, years ago when I was traveling alone from Michigan to Arkansas (where I went to college), I decided to take a pit stop, not at a rest area, but at an Abraham Lincoln historical site. It was a great little museum, with all kinds of things that had belonged to him. Clothing, pens, his desk and chair. Neat stuff… but the thing that really captured my attention, that I stood and looked at for the longest time, was a plaster cast that had been made of his face.
You see, sometime long ago, when he was alive, someone had the idea to have him press his face into a large bowl of something, maybe plaster, maybe something similar. And his face left an impression. And then they did something really amazing. They poured wet plaster into that shape and let it harden, later to remove that shape and have a perfect reproduction of his face, down to every wrinkle and hair.
He had set an example, and then his face had been reproduced with plaster.
And that’s the other thing that Paul tells Timothy to do here: to set an example so that his life could be reproduced.
Paul challenged Timothy to live a life worthy of reproduction. He wanted him to live in a way that it would not only leave an impression on the world, but would also leave an impression that people would want to reproduce!
And I wonder, sometimes, if I am living a life that is worthy of reproduction.
Wouldn’t it be great to know that someone looked at us in awe, like I looked at that plaster cast of Abraham Lincoln, and if, when they looked at you, saw a life worthy of reproducing?
They saw a person who had overcome great challenges.
They saw a person who was humble and honorable.
They saw a person who loved well and listened well.
What if we lived our lives in a way that we made such an impact on the world around us, that people would see it, and honor God, and want to live like us?
Matthew 5:16 gives us a caution, I think, in this regards… because the goal is not to leave an impression, and have people be inspired by our lives, to make us great or famous. In this passage, Jesus says that the goal of us living this kind of life is not that people would say, oh, how great is Pastor Eric… or how great is so and so… but how great is God in Heaven!
That they would see the way you live, and praise (not you) but God!
In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul says to follow his example, as he follows the example of Christ.
You see, we’re not making our own mold for our own good. We are called here to follow the example that Jesus left for us, to reproduce that in our lives, so that in turn others would reproduce what they see of Christ lived out through us.
And that’s what Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12. To set an example, to leave an imprint, to make a mold, that reflects the life and attitude of Jesus in how we talk, in how we conduct ourselves, in how we show love for one another, in how we trust God, and in how we protect the purity and integrity of our lives.
So I want you to think about what shape you’re leaving as you go about your life today. Is it rough around the edges? Is it positive? Is it hopeful? Does it show growth and healing? Does it indicate love? Is it pure? Does it demonstrate that you are following after God?
We’re all going to leave an imprint in our world, let’s leave one that points people to God.