In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
Titus 2:7,8
We all need examples. That’s why there are big, printed letters around the classroom for kids to learn their ABC’s and how to write. That’s why there are so many DIY videos on the internet. They give an example of how to fix just about anything without someone coming over to show you or to fix it.
If you think about it, there are all sorts of examples around. For example, I needed to write a formal business letter, so I went looking for an example. When I found it. I could download the template onto my laptop. This gave me an example to fill out, making me look smarter and better than I actually am.
But there’s an important thing to remember about an example, they don’t work just once. To be a real example, it’s got to work over and over again. Using it once and then throwing it away doesn’t make it an example.
Think about making cupcakes or muffins. The tin pan that you bake them in is an example. You pour the batter in. You cook them. You take them out. You wash the pan. And then it’s ready to be an example again for the next time you want to make muffins or cupcakes.
And then there’s the cupcake and muffin paper liners. You know what I’m talking about. Those thin paper cups that go inside the pan before you pour the batter in. When baking is complete, you pull the muffins or cupcakes out with the paper still attached. You then peel off the paper and throw it away before eating.
The paper liners aren’t an example because they work only once. A real example works over and over again. Examples have to be strong enough keep giving support and guidance over a long period of time.
That’s why Paul tells Titus to be an example. Not a flash-in-the-pan, but someone that lasts a long time. Someone who’s in it for the long haul. Someone that’s going to be there giving support and guidance over and over again.
Now, this doesn’t mean that Titus is to wake up one Saturday morning and decide to live for Jesus that one day. Then, as he goes to bed that night, that he can pray, “Thank you God for allowing me to be an example to my family and community today. Now, I can just move on because my example days are over.”
Being an example also doesn’t mean that he’s to preach a sermon one Sunday and then say, “Well, that does it. I’m done. My example days are over. I’m finished being an example and retire to the Caribbean.”
When we’re an example, it’s like a hammer hitting a chisel that’s trying to cut through stone. It’s going to take more than just one swing. It’s going to take swing after swing. After swing.
And with every swing of the hammer, the shape of the chisel gets made just a little but deeper into the stone. The more hits with the hammer, the deeper and deeper the chisel shape gets made into the stone.
The kind of example Paul’s telling Titus to be isn’t like sticking his finger into Play-Doh. You know what happens when you use Play-Doh. It easily moves and takes the shape of whatever it pushed into it. This isn’t a good example of being an example.
An example is hard work. It takes time. You have to keep doing it over and over again. Being an example is going to wear you out. Your arms are going to get tired and heavy. You’re going to become short of breadth while being an example.
Oh, and one more thing. An example is never alone. To be an example, there has to be at least two people. It’s never an “I” thing, it’s always a “WE” thing. You have one person being the example while someone else watches. Learns. Tries. Practices. And hopefully they get it so that they can be an example too.
Paul lists a lot of things for Titus to be an example of. But the end result is that his enemies won’t have a single word to say. There won’t be anything bad that they can see. Not one little criticism.
Doesn’t that sound like the kind of person that we want to be near. We all want friends that we can count on in times of trouble. We know that they’ll do the right thing at the right time. Say the right thing when everything’s falling apart.
Jesus is our greatest example. He gave his life so that we could be forgiven. Be born again. Made new into God’s children. He didn’t come to be an example; he came to be our savior and God. And through his life, we can be reunited with God again. As he lives in us, he wants to write his laws in our minds and hearts[1]. Now that’s an example we can all use.
Noodling Questions
Explain how someone has been a spiritual example to you.
Why do we so easily give up on people when God hasn’t given up on us yet?
Give three examples how Jesus can be a greater example to us in our family.
[1] Hebrews 8:10
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