Question

How important is a good example?

Answer

I was profoundly impressed by an item I saw buried inside the sports pages recently. A high school basketball team from Rockville County, Georgia, had easily won the state championship, rolling over all their opponents. A few weeks after the championship game, the coach, studying the team's grades, noticed for the first time that one of his third-string players had failed some courses. The youngster was academically ineligible for the basketball team.

The coach remembered that late in one of the semifinal matches, with his team leading by more than 20 points, he had put that player in the game. The ineligible man had played only a few minutes. His participation had in no way affected the outcome of the game. But it was technically a violation.

The coach was in a distressing predicament. If he revealed the infraction, his team would be stripped of the championship. He could keep quiet and hope no one noticed. After all, the violation was a mere technicality--the team would have won anyway. It was unlikely anyone outside the school would ever discover the offense.

Yet the coach realized the player involved surely was aware of the breach of rules. It was possible that the whole team knew and thought their coach had purposely ignored the eligibility guidelines.

The coach said from the moment he discovered the violation, he knew what he had to do. He never even pondered any alternatives. His priorities had been set long before this. He realized that the championship was not as important as his team's character or his example to them.

He reported the infraction, and the school forfeited the state championship.

I'm sure it was painful to give up the title, but the coach believed his first responsibility was to be a good example to his team. If he covered up the truth, his players would believe he had flaunted the rules. Winning a state championship at the expense of his integrity was not worth the price. Too many young lives could be adversely affected.

"Winning means nothing anyway unless you do it by the rules," the coach told incredulous reporters.

After the school surrendered the championship trophy, parents and team boosters chipped in to buy a new, larger trophy. This one does not say "State Championship," but in my opinion it stands for something far more important.

Young People Represent a Sacred Trust

I wish all coaches, teachers, and parents understood that young people are our most valuable resource. The complexion of the world a generation from now will be determined by the youth of today. The example they receive from those who influence them will determine whether they embrace or discard right values.

Whether you are a young person yourself or someone who influences them, you have a solemn responsibility to be a good example.

The Bible clearly emphasizes this truth. In the Old Testament, all Israel was charged with the task of teaching God's law to the nation's youth (Deuteronomy 6:7). Scripture says every parent's highest duty is to train his children in the way they should go, so that when they are old they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). And a basic requirement for those in spiritual leadership is that they demonstrate the ability to train their own children properly (1 Timothy 3:2-4; Titus 1:5).

There is no question about the importance God places on being the right kind of example to children and young people. Eli, a priest in the Old Testament, was severely judged by God because he had failed to train his sons in the way of righteousness (1 Samuel 3:13). Although he had basically been a faithful priest, he had failed as a father, and God ultimately struck him dead for it.

You Can Be a Good Influence

Being a good example is a responsibility all of us share-- not just parents, coaches, and other authority figures. There is great insight in the words of the apostle Paul to a young minister: "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe" (1 Timothy 4:12).

Those words affirm both Timothy's youthfulness and his obligation to influence others for good. Even as a young person, he was commanded to be a good example.

Note the progression: "speech, conduct, love, faith and purity." Those words envelop every conceivable sphere of influence. Paul wanted Timothy to be constantly aware of the impact of his words and actions on others.

The fact is, we all are an influence on people around us, whether we're trying to be or not. Almost everything we say or do affects our friends and family either for bad or for good. They will reject or accept our values, depending on how clearly and consistently we demonstrate our commitment.

Christians often speak of being a "good testimony." The word testimony usually makes us think of verbal witness, but being a good testimony for Christ means much more than just talking about Him. If actions speak as loudly as words, how we live is more important than what we say in influencing people for Christ. A testimony for Christ mandates that we live lives of obedience to Him.

The Toughest Standard of All

I want to focus especially on the issue of purity. It's the last word in Paul's list of influential characteristics, but in many ways it is the acid test. Assuming everything else in a person's life is right--even "speech, conduct, love, [and] faith" (1 Timothy 4:12)--purity remains the ultimate criterion of a good example.

In baseball, if a pitcher goes nine innings and gives up only four hits, we would normally think he pitched a great game. But if those hits are all home runs and the pitcher loses the game, our estimation of his performance will not be nearly as enthusiastic.

A person who bombs out in the area of moral purity is like the pitcher who keeps giving up the long ball--no matter what else he does that's good, we're going to rate him as a failure.

One who fails at purity fails at everything. Paul wrote to Timothy, "Flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness" (2 Timothy 2:22). Peter amplified the warning: "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul" (2 Peter 2:11).

Nothing combats the soul more fiercely than moral impurity. It undermines any good influence we might otherwise have, shatters credibility, and annuls the positive message of "speech, conduct, love, [and] faith." That is why it is so damaging when a church leader fails morally.

Moral impurity almost always begins in the mind. People who fall into immorality are predictably those who have nurtured impure thoughts. What we sow in our thought life--good or evil-- will inevitably bear fruit in our behavior.

Therefore even "hidden" impurity will ultimately affect the kind of example we are.

It is intriguing that Paul warns Timothy about "youthful lusts." Temptation to lust can be overwhelming to young people. Isn't it interesting to note that this was true even in Timothy's day? Paul realized that as a young person, Timothy would be particularly susceptible to impure desires.

Lustful desires and provocative images, together with pride, are the chief characteristics of our world system (cf 1 John 4:16). Modern society does all it can to amplify the power of lust, through advertising designed to capitalize on evil desires, entertainment that heightens illegitimate passions, and a value system that belittles moral virtue.

All of that sets the tone for the forces that influence today's young people. The result is an almost irresistible pressure to compromise--especially in the area of purity.

And so contemporary young people desperately need good examples of purity, integrity, and sound character. Sadly, there aren't many positive examples.

You can be one. Whether you're a young person or elderly, you're affecting the young people in your life. Have you considered what kind of example you are? Are you a positive or a negative influence?

The Battle in Your Mind

Scripture acknowledges the ferocious battle we must wage to keep our minds pure. And God's Word offers the means of winning that battle. Here are some key verses to memorize and meditate on if you're struggling with impure thoughts:

"...be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).

"Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee" (Psalm 119:11).

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2).

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (Joshua 1:8).