THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY

1 Kings 14:1-15:24; Acts 10:1-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 17:7-8

“The people imitated the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.”

“Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”

“Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.”

Most of us look for role models. That’s a good thing, at least when our role models are worthy of imitation. But we don’t always follow those we should follow. We look for people who are wealthy, celebrities or otherwise seemingly above the difficulties we face. It is no wonder we are ill equipped to deal with the realities of everyday life when we attempt to mimic others whose lives have nothing in common with our particular circumstances. The point of role models is not to facilitate wishful thinking. Their point is to provide an example of a more effective way to live. We should not be surprised, then, when our obsession with athletes and movie stars provides us little practical help in living our own lives.

For a number of years, I was involved in youth ministry. The kids went through a variety of fads and crazes. Each one claimed to want to establish him or herself as an individual, but they usually ended up doing their best just to fit in with their peers. Some worshipped the latest teen idol, some allowed themselves to become lost in the drug culture, but virtually all of them were most comfortable when acting with a herd mentality. For most, the herd was their role model. Some had no role model at all. Regardless, true individuals were usually dismissed as nerds or just plain weird or, on the other hand, as overachieving bookworms. In a world that supposedly valued individualism above most everything, few of its inhabitants realized they were stereotypes blinded by their need to conform and avoid notice.

The Israelites chose to follow their corrupt leader, Jeroboam, and Jeroboam choose to follow his pagan contemporaries in worshipping idols and turning his back on the Lord. Not once does the Bible talk of anyone who confronted Jeroboam about his wicked ways or his responsibility as a political leader to protect the welfare of those he ruled. The people were too busy imitating the worship practices of their pagan neighbors. In doing so, they unwittingly sowed the seeds of Israel’s complete destruction and the crushing military defeats that lead to it. We, as Christian brothers and sisters, can and must do better.

Christians have the perfect role model – literally. Jesus Christ came to earth so all humanity could see the best way to live. But when He was not being persecuted, He usually was simply ignored. The Man who literally was “the way, the truth and the life,” the one soul who understood the secrets of effective living, was too often dismissed as a heretic or disregarded as impractical or, worse, a lunatic. We need to rethink our feelings about Christ. We need to see and follow Him as the example he still is today. Only by attempting to imitate Jesus will we become the people God created us to be: the very Body of Christ!