As children we played the game ‘follow the leader’ many times. Someone gets a turn to walk in front and everything that person does, the line of people behind him must imitate. It was great fun most of the time because, if you were ahead, you made it as difficult or silly as possible for the others following you. They struggled at times, but they followed!
This is what it means to be a disciple of the Lord: you follow Jesus as best you can. You thus imitate your leader. Many people in our country call themselves Christians, but do not live nearly like the One they’re supposed to follow. True Christianity means following Christ as your leader. However, many people make their own rules and end up living just as they wish. In census after census, approximately seventy percent of the population indicate that they are Christians. What they’re actually trying to say is that, if they were to go to church, they’d go to a Christian church.
The famous Hindu leader, Gandhi, was once asked by a friend:
If you admire Christ so much, why don’t you become a Christian?
It does appear from the question that Gandhi had respect and even admiration for Jesus Christ. However, his answer was:
When I meet a Christian who is a follower of Christ, I may consider it.
From the answer it appears that Gandhi's paths crossed with those of Christians many times. He had a lot to do with them, but their way of life and behavior just never matched what he knew about Jesus. The disobedience of Christians to the One they follow therefore put him off Christianity. To be perfectly honest, it seems to me, he was somewhat disillusioned by Christians and what they make of Christianity.
Hear the responsibility of how important your example is to others. Hear from this how important it is that we will live love towards everyone, that we will be kind towards everyone and that we will radiate God's grace to others.
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