The other day I was walking my dog. As usual, we went down the sidewalk toward the park. The paths were cleared off for the most part. But, there was one neighbor who hadn’t cleared his portion of the sidewalk. As my dog and I approached, I decided to put my feet inside the imprints in the snow. Someone had blazed a trail before me.
So, I merely tried to place my feet inside the person’s footprints who went before me. Of course, as a pastor, there is a spiritual lesson here. The Apostle Paul once wrote, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). The word follow in the Greek μιμηταί, refers to imitating someone, but also carries the idea of following in the tracks. There is within this little verse a series of followings. First, there is the path that Christ has already established. When Jesus was on the earth, he lived for God in every aspect of his life. So, he left an example for people to follow. Second, Paul says that he’s following in the footsteps of Christ. If you have read the Bible and are familiar the Apostle Paul, then you know that Paul followed Christ, even to his death. Third, Paul called his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to follow his example. There are many tracks we can observe in this life. Some of those tracks don’t belong to Christ, the apostles or to faithful Christians who have gone before us. We have a choice in our lives! Which road are we going to travel? Are we going to follow the footsteps of lost mankind or are we going to follow the steps of godly men and women? My prayer is that we will walk in the footsteps of godliness.
In Christ, Pastor Mike
