One rainy Saturday afternoon, a dad decided to take his two boys to a museum. At the ticket counter, he asked the attendant, “How much is it to get in?”
The young man replied, “$3.00 for you and $3.00 for any kid who is older than six. Kids six and under get in free. How old are they?”
Without hesitation the dad replied, “The little guy is three and the big one is seven. Guess I owe $6.00.”
With some surprise, the attendant said, “Hey, Mister, you could have saved yourself three bucks. You could have told me that the older one was only six; I’d never have known the difference!”
“That may be true,” replied the dad slowly. “But,” nodding to his two boys, he continued, “they would have known!”
Let’s always remember that each action of our lives gives testimony to something. Perhaps our personal testimony will be the only one for Christ that someone will ever receive. To the world we are indeed an “epistle... known and read of all men” (2 Cor. 3:22Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: (2 Corinthians 3:2)). We should always be sensitive to what those around are reading from our lives.
It has often been mentioned that everything we do in this life has consequences both present and eternal. As to carefulness about how we live, another once said, “Make out your income tax forms in view of the judgment seat of Christ!” What a motive that presents to our hearts! “Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:1212Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12)).
Then, too, who can rightly anticipate or value the lasting effects for good or bad that parents’ actions have upon their beloved children! “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:66Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)). Dear parents! Diligently seek to “make straight paths” for your own feet, so your tender lambs may not be stumbled as they follow your example.
The beloved Apostle Paul was able to tell the dear Thessalonian believers that how he had lived among them and what he had done while with them was so that “we might give ourselves as an example to you, in order to your imitating us” (2 Thess. 3:99Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. (2 Thessalonians 3:9) JND). May it be so with us!
Ed.