"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:16
"Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12
How many of us can truly say we set a good example for others? It's something that weighs on me sometimes. I try to make sure I always act like a Christian always, but especially in front of non-Christians. We don't need to give them a reason to call us hypocrites. We'll never win someone over to Christ if we're not practicing what we preach.
Being a good example does not mean we act right so others will praise us and talk about how good of a person we are. It means doing as God would have you to do so that others can see him living in you and want to be a part of that also. We read about wives being able to win their unbelieving husbands over in the Bible just by being a good example. This isn't in there just for a good read. It's in there because it can definitely happen, and it doesn't have to occur just in a marriage. Anyone can do this.
We can let our light shine in so many ways, even in the small decisions we make every day. For example, what we wear and how we speak will say a lot about us. If you're dressed immodestly with half your body showing, the world may praise you and think you're beautiful. However, I can guarantee you God is not impressed. You can't use bad language if you want to truly be doing what is right. Colossians 3:8 says, "but now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." If you're around people who constantly cuss and talk ugly, it's hard to refrain. But that's why you have to remember 1 Corinthians 15:33. "Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals." Therefore, you should choose your company wisely. In some cases you can't help but be around it and you just have to be strong and resist temptation. You hold no credibility teaching the gospel if you're dressed immodestly or using bad language, and the list goes on and on. It would be like someone smoking a cigarette while giving a speech on why you should stop smoking.
The people we are around everyday (work, school, family, friends) should know that we are Christians just by our actions. If they don't know, we're probably doing something wrong. Our actions and our words should reflect back to Jesus. It should be easy to pick us out of a crowd because we are different. We are children of God. We should stand out because we are living the way God wants us to and not how the world wants us to.
We can bring others to God by our example. People should see the way we live and maybe understand that it's not always easy. We're just like everyone else and have to resist temptations daily, but we're doing it for a purpose and it will be worth it. We should live with the goal of going to Heaven and bringing others with us.
