Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
—1 Corinthians 11:1
My father was a handyman; he could fix anything. When that gene got to me, it decided to skip a generation. I’m okay with that—what I want is the gene that defined his character.
The apostle Paul wasn’t satisfied with changing people’s thinking; he wanted to change their conduct. He fathered the Corinthians through the gospel and urged them to be imitators of him (1 Cor 4:15–16). Seven chapters later, he said it again: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1).
My father never advised me to imitate him—but he could have because he didn’t just talk the talk, he walked the walk.
Someone—you may not know who—is listening to you and watching you. If the conduct isn’t in sync with the counsel, the counsel is corrupted.
Someone is using your
conduct as their model.