Follow ME?????

In 1 Cor 11:1 Paul Says "Follow my example as I follow Christ.".

I used to read this and think that Paul was this great man and if we could just measure up to what he has accomplished then we would be doing alright. This, however put a lot of pressure on me. Paul was a man who wrote part of the bible. God used him to do monumental things in life and changed history. What I started to do instead was focus on the latter part of the verse. I  put more emphases on following Christ and not so much on following Paul. And what I found was that as I got closer to Jesus my life began to change. Not that everything became perfect, but slowly I started becoming more of who I was meant to be in life.

It was then that I began to realize what Paul was saying.

He was asking us to follow him in the way he followed Christ. Not to try and imitate all the actions that he did in life. We are not called to be a Paul. We are called to be a _______(insert your name here).
When we begin to live life this way then we can stand up with boldness and say to those that are around us "Follow me as I follow Christ". And living life as an example to others allows us to realize that life is not all about us. Others are affected by our actions. They say who we really are.

So as we go on in life from here, Let's remember that our neighbors, friends and colleagues are watching us. If you are a follower of Christ, remember that it is your example that shows others who you are. Paul's life was not perfect and yours and mine is not as well. 1 Cor 3:18 talks of how we are being transformed into Christ's likeness as we trust and follow Him. We are constantly learning to follow Jesus better and as we do, it is an awesome privilege to be an example for others to follow.