Step 7: Imitate Godly Examples
"Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:9
The last piece in this journey toward a healthy thought life is all about imitation. Not imitation in the sense of copying someone’s style or personality, but imitation that flows from wisdom and humility. Paul is wrapping up this section in Philippians by telling the believers to pay attention to the examples God has placed in their lives. He says, “Do what you’ve learned from me, what you’ve received and heard and seen in me. In other words, watch how I live, and live that way.”
This kind of challenge can sound bold, even a little risky, unless you understand where Paul’s confidence came from. He wasn’t claiming perfection. He wasn’t setting himself up as the hero of the story. He was saying, “My life is centered on Jesus. My mind is anchored in the truth. I am pursuing Christ and reflecting Him with everything I’ve got. So follow that.”
You have people like that in your life. God didn’t leave you alone to figure everything out. He placed people around you to model what it looks like to think healthy thoughts, walk in peace, live with purpose, and serve the Lord with consistency. If you want to grow, watch them. Learn from them. Follow in their footsteps.
But it doesn’t stop there. At some point, you’re called to be that example for someone else. This isn’t just about who you’re watching. It’s about who’s watching you. You want your kids or your friends or the people you lead to have a healthy thought life? Then show them what that looks like. Live it out. Let your life be one worth imitating.
You don’t get to that place by accident. You get there when you surrender your body, your mind, and your soul to Jesus. That’s when the peace of God shows up. And when the peace of God shows up, everything changes.
The last piece in this journey toward a healthy thought life is all about imitation. Not imitation in the sense of copying someone’s style or personality, but imitation that flows from wisdom and humility. Paul is wrapping up this section in Philippians by telling the believers to pay attention to the examples God has placed in their lives. He says, “Do what you’ve learned from me, what you’ve received and heard and seen in me. In other words, watch how I live, and live that way.”
This kind of challenge can sound bold, even a little risky, unless you understand where Paul’s confidence came from. He wasn’t claiming perfection. He wasn’t setting himself up as the hero of the story. He was saying, “My life is centered on Jesus. My mind is anchored in the truth. I am pursuing Christ and reflecting Him with everything I’ve got. So follow that.”
You have people like that in your life. God didn’t leave you alone to figure everything out. He placed people around you to model what it looks like to think healthy thoughts, walk in peace, live with purpose, and serve the Lord with consistency. If you want to grow, watch them. Learn from them. Follow in their footsteps.
But it doesn’t stop there. At some point, you’re called to be that example for someone else. This isn’t just about who you’re watching. It’s about who’s watching you. You want your kids or your friends or the people you lead to have a healthy thought life? Then show them what that looks like. Live it out. Let your life be one worth imitating.
You don’t get to that place by accident. You get there when you surrender your body, your mind, and your soul to Jesus. That’s when the peace of God shows up. And when the peace of God shows up, everything changes.
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2 Comments
Awesome! As I age things, chapters, n versus change in meaning to me!
Same here.