Fathers vs. Teachers – 4
“Therefore I urge you, imitate me. ”
Teachers encourage you to buy their books, while fathers challenge you to imitate their looks. Paul simply said, “Follow me.” There’s a Christ-centered confidence in the heart of a true father that’s the product of years of experience. Fathers walk with a limp. They’ve walked with Christ through the valleys of life and they’re alive to tell you about it. The boxing match is over and they are still standing. Fathers are battle tested. They’ve been seasoned by the storms of life. When they speak, they can say with confidence, “It’s going to be all right.” Like David, they can declare, “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25).
Fathers can boast in the Lord with full assurance, and challenge you to believe God too. They’ve been through the battles and attacks and have the scars to prove it. Like Paul they proudly wear the scars from their service to Jesus (Galatians 6:17). Now they have earned the right to say, “Follow me. I can lead you through this situation.”
Very few in the body of Christ can speak with this kind of meekness and authority. Teachers can talk about it, but fathers have lived it. In fact, we almost want to apologize for Paul’s boldness. Surely he meant to say, “Follow Christ,” and not, “Follow me.” But don’t forget, Paul is a son as well as a father. He has been fathered by Christ and other godly men. He has learned well and now he invites us to follow.