Devotion from Jason Sell

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”  -1 Corinthians 11:1

If you’ve assembled a Lego set with your kids, you know that the instructions aren’t word for word. The instruction booklets come with pictures of what your build should look like at each point, and some of the booklets can be quite thick. I’ve heard that a Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon set came with a spiral-bound set of instructions! Inevitably, you'll come to a page and find your mistakes disturbing. With a booklet that complex, the build might feel overwhelming. But thanks goodness the Lego instructions don’t give the instructions in words (can you imagine… “place the two-peg gray plate horizontally on the third blue peg from the red brick”….!). Lego instructions are all pictures so we can see what it looks like, no matter what language you speak or how well you understand it.

For some, trying to find answers in the Bible for questions of how to follow Jesus in our daily life might feel like building a Lego set by words. But God knew what we needed, and He provided us instructions that we could see. Throughout his letters, Paul writes to the church, urging them to “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1 & 4:15-17, Phil 3:17 & 4:9, 2 Thes 3:7-9, 2 Tim 3:10-11). That’s good news for us visual learners. Everything you need to learn how to follow Christ is in the Bible. I fully believe that. But it is supplemented by the lives of devoted believers around us who have been learning how to follow Christ as well. God never intended us to be a believer on our own. Many have gone before us, stepping through life like a parent walking across a floor covered in their kids’ Legos. God knew we would be better off with someone to follow. So look for an example of someone devoted in their faith and see where they step. And when it comes to those who can lead: if you’ve built a Lego set or two in your life, help a kid out as she builds one, too. Or better yet, if you’re a follower of Jesus already, show someone else the example of how to become a better follower of Jesus, too.