But Set the Believers an Example: Conduct

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4.12 ESV)

This week’s blog post is continuation of a 5-part series I am doing over 1 Timothy 4.12. Last week we talked about setting the believers an example in speech. This week we’re going to talk about setting an example in our conduct. 

What does conduct mean? Our conduct is the simply how we behave. It’s how we act from day to day. It’s what people see from us. With that in mind I think it’s obvious why Paul mentioned it in this letter to Timothy. How we act is important! I’m reminded of a quote (I can’t remember who said it) that goes a little something this:

“You may be the only Bible that people ever read”

I don’t know about you but there are times when I think about this quote and then I compare it to my life. I ask myself whether or not my conduct has been a good representation of Christ that day. Unfortunately, there are some days where I haven’t been the example that I should’ve been and I think about whether or not my actions that day had a negative impact for Christ. 

One example of this can be taken from this past Wednesday. Every Wednesday myself and several others get together to play basketball. Well, this past week I wasn’t doing as well as I thought I ought to have been and as a result I got frustrated. Out of my frustration I ended up pushing a guy who went up for a lay-up. He didn’t get hurt or anything like that but, you absolutely never push someone when they’re up in the air like that. There were a couple guys who were non-Christians that were playing with us and during the next day or so I wondered what affect my conduct that night had on those non-Christians who were around me. 

As a result of my conduct that night who knows what affect I had on them? It’s quite possible that they never even noticed. However, it’s quite possible that now when they think of Christians in general they’ll think of the Christian that they saw getting angry and upset because he wasn’t playing like he thought he could.

I told you this story for two reasons, 1) to show how important our conduct is and 2) to show you that our conduct is a result of our attitude (or thoughts). I pushed my friend because I was feeling frustrated. I acted out in anger because I felt angry! My conduct was a result of my attitude.

 

Our conduct is something that is a very powerful example, but it’s up to us to decide whether our conduct is going to be a good example…or a bad one. This week I want to challenge you to examine your conduct. Ask yourself whether getting angry, sad, or frustrated is appropriate for the situation you’re in. In my case, getting frustrated was not an appropriate frame of mind. I only wish that I had figured that out before I acted negatively on my thoughts and not after. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Examine your thoughts beforehand so that you don’t make the mistake of setting a negative example in conduct. –Jack D.