Recovery Devotional 316 Follow My Example *(Asterisk)

JMD Devotional 316 1 Corinthians 11:1-3 Follow My Example *(Asterisk)

PATTERN YOURSELVES after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah). I appreciate and commend you because you always remember me in everything and keep firm possession of the traditions (the substance of my instructions), just as I have [verbally] passed them on to you. But I want you to know and realize that Christ is the Head of every man, the head of a woman is her husband, and the Head of Christ is God.

As the early Church gained definition and structure, a hierarchy of leadership emerged by necessity to govern the body of believers and maintain the ‘flock’. But some would seek positions of Church leadership solely out of their lust for power. Others strived to make a name for themselves, and competed for the affection of congregations, even to the point of sabotaging the work of the Apostles. Some were sincere but misguided; a few were deliberate wolves in sheep’s clothing entering the Church with a covert agenda. One major characteristic of these wayward ‘leaders’ is that they inverted the Christ-centered focus and made it all about them instead. Such people forget where they came from, and their own propensity for folly, and have departed from dependence on God and carry out their works fueled solely from their own flesh and reasoning. Paul rightly acknowledged that even as an Apostle, he was a man under authority, and just a man. He gave a disclaimer: “follow my example AS I FOLLOW CHRIST.”

I would echo that and go so far as to say, “Don’t follow my example”:

-when I am out of step with the Holy Spirit

-when I get too full of myself

-when I act as my own authority

-when I am trying to please men rather than God

-when I am not ‘in Christ’ (in harmony, in sync, under authority, filled with the Spirit).

Only follow me as I follow Jesus Christ.

Dear God,

May I not be so arrogant as to be trying to compete with my Lord Jesus Christ! I have to be reminded that it is not all about me; You rightly share Your glory with no man. I so want to live a consistent witness; but this ‘work in progress’ stumbles a lot. If I pursue calling disciples to myself then I rob Christ---may God forbid such blind ambition! Help me to genuinely work to promote Your kingdom and glory rather than my own. Help me to accept being a man under authority, and to soberly respect the influence I have over others. I am depending on You to cultivate and empower godly conduct in my life as I seek to be Your good and faithful servant. The Universe is a safer place with You in charge.

Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by

the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

*New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

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