Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 287

October 14;   3 John 11;      237/260(IV);      ‘Imitate Good’

3 John 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.

As Christians, there are believers that we know or know of, who are excellent examples of conduct worth following.  God’s Word is our guide to a godly lifestyle, those who endeavor to live their lives in line with the Word are worth imitating.  Remember, that when you become born again, your spirit is recreated by the Holy Spirit (2Corinthians 5:17).  That is the part of you that changes.  Your mind, what it knows, the healthy or unhealthy emotions that are a pattern of your life and your will to live exactly as you choose to live have not changed once you are saved.  You can be legitimately a believer and still have a mind filled with stuff that is contrary to a Christian lifestyle.  Your body also is not changed when Jesus becomes your Lord.  Quite often, we must discipline our body, refuse to allow it to do things it did prior to Christianity.  Needless to say those who do not renew their mind with the Word and do not discipline their bodies are not worth imitating.  This verse teaches that there are some who have not seen the Lord, meaning discerning the will of the Lord in regards to proper conduct.  As serious believers, it is easy to recognize those whose who live in a manner that is not biblical.  It is also easy and a blessing to watch and imitate those who honor Jesus by living just like Jesus, our Example did.  When we first get saved, those whose lives are worth imitating seem ‘foreign’ to us since we are not used to godly behavior.  As we mature and grow, being a believer worth imitating becomes a sincere goal.