Daily
Devotional

As a young boy, I would often spend the night with my grandfather. I remember one such occasion when I was in the first grade. We had gotten up in the morning, and I was watching my grandfather get ready for the day. He was shaving with an electric razor and that was new to me. I had seen my dad shave, but Dad did not use an electric razor, so I was really interested in the whole process. My grandfather would run that razor over his face and then take his other hand and feel the skin, and then he would shave a little bit more, and feel again to see if he got everything off.  

My grandfather noticed my interest. He had an old electric razor that still worked, so he gave it to me. A few days later, I got out my razor at home. I remembered how Grandpa did it, so I buzzed it over my face. I would shave a little bit and feel my face, and then shave a little more. However, when I looked in the mirror, I knew something was wrong. Nothing was being shaved! I did not know much about electric razors, but I knew they were supposed to cut hair, so I took a closer look at my face to see if I could locate some hair. Then I realized I had been looking in the wrong place—I needed to be shaving a little higher up! I ran the razor over my eyebrows on both sides and I got them real smooth. They were gone!  

When you get a new hairstyle, you want to show somebody, and I felt the same way about my shave. So I went and showed my mom. Though she did not seem to care for it, my new eyebrowless look was the result of following an example.

People observe other people. Children observe their parents and grandparents—they watch and they learn by watching. Young people observe their peers and the older folks around them. Students observe their teachers. Then they apply what they have learned, often modeling their own behavior after what they have seen.  

In our focus verse, the Apostle Paul was encouraging a younger man, Timothy, to set a right example before the believers. The word example in this verse is translated from the Greek word typos, which means “a pattern, type, or model.” We want our behavior to set the right kind of example—to be a godly pattern for others to follow.

Today, let’s take stock. Is our behavior influencing people toward godliness? Are our motives and attitudes positive reflections of Christ? It is important that those watching us observe the right things!