Keep Practicing

In Philippians 4:9, Paul tells the Philippians to model his behavior by putting everything they have learned, received, heard and seen from him into practice. There are at least three benefits to this approach.

First, it’s effective. We learn best through imitation. We would never just tell a child how to kick a football. We would show them. A carpenter wouldn’t take up their trade by reading a manual. They would apprentice under a master.

Likewise, we shouldn’t just read about what our faith should look like. We should seek out mature believers who, like Paul, put it on display. Because although we can certainly read about selflessness, humility, forgiveness and compassion, we get a stronger sense of what those qualities look like when we see them lived out in fellow brothers and sisters.

Second, it’s relational. In 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7, Paul reveals how this process plays out. He imitates Christ. Believers imitate him. And then other believers imitate them. It’s a chain reaction. As we model faithful believers, we become models ourselves.

Third, it’s attached to a promise. This is the best part. Paul tells us that if we put these things into practice, the God of peace will be with us. And not just any peace — a peace that Paul says surpasses all understanding.

So, ask yourself who in your life models the faith and what would it look like to start living like them?