For years sports experts claimed it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in under four minutes. In May of 1954, Roger Bannister became the first person to shatter the assumption, running a mile in 3:59.4. By doing so, he accomplished a feat many declared impossible.
Interestingly, Bannister held the record for only 46 days before it was broken. Once other runners saw that it was possible, the four-minute mile was run by many athletes and is now the standard for all male professional middle distance runners. In fact, in the last 50 years, the record has been lowered by nearly 17 seconds.
Long before anyone ran a four-minute mile, the Scripture writers understood the power of example. The Bible commonly calls on Christ followers to imitate godly examples.
I vividly remember being a brand new Christian in my early-20’s and meeting a woman at church named Marcia, who was a seasoned Christian. Practically speaking, I had no clue what it looked like to follow Christ.
Marcia was a serious student of Scripture and knew her Bible well, but that wasn’t what impressed me most. Marcia exuded Jesus. It was evident that Marcia didn’t just know a lot about Jesus, but rather, her relationship with Him influenced every aspect of her life.
Simply put, I wanted what Marcia had, so I started doing the things she did. Marcia read her Bible every day, so I started reading mine. I noticed she’d memorized a lot of Scripture, so I started memorizing a few verses each week. Marcia was serious about serving the local church, so I committed myself to serving in the local church. At the end of Bible study, I’d listen intently to how she prayed so I could learn from her. I could go on and on, but you get the point.
At the time, I didn’t realize it, but I was unwittingly carrying out the command to imitate mature believers, a concept the Scripture writers often address.
- “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7).
- “For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate” (2 Thess 3:9-10).
- “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1).
No matter how long we have been a Christian, we need examples of how to live a faithful life. Following Christ is too counter-cultural to do alone. God intends for us to be engaged in Biblical community. Author and pastor Tim Keller said, “Solitary faith, something that the Bible knows nothing about, will always produce a distorted view of God.”
So, how do we find mature Christians to learn from?
Most of my mentors have come from the local church. Some of them knew they were mentoring me, others I simply watched from a distance. Watching seasoned believers in a variety of circumstances has taught me how to practically live out my faith. Keep in mind, even the most mature believers stumble. We’ll never find a perfect mentor, but we can find a faithful one.
I’ve also benefitted from reading about the lives of other Christians. The biographies of people like Hudson Taylor, George Müller, Corrie Ten Boom, and Amy Carmichael have made vast spiritual deposits in my life. Like the runners who were motivated by Roger Bannister, I’m motivated when I read about what is possible with a life that is wholly devoted to God.
Every Sunday, heroes of the faith sit among us in our church pews. Invite them to lunch and ask them every question you can think of. Watch them carefully and learn everything you can. Likewise, as you grow in your relationship with Christ, and the miles you have walked with Him begin to add up, be sure to pass along what you have learned to anyone who is interested.
