12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
We are setting an example whether we like it or not. People are watching our conduct and determining our character from that conduct. When we are consistent, they get to see what we are really like. This can be either godly or hypocritical. We can be consistently double minded! We can say one thing and do another consistently! So consistency is not the goal of godly living. Some non-believers are more consistent than we are. Part of maturity is consistency. As we mature we learn the outcome of some of those alternative paths, either by personal experience or by observing others and learning from their mistakes, and we choose to narrow our options of action. Some might call this stubbornness. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Or maybe narrow-mindedness. Both of these can reflect an attitude more than an action. Both speak of a level of self-importance that tends to exclude God from the equation. That is why this list at the end of the verse is so important. It shows the areas we are to be consistent if we are to be a godly example to others. Of course they cover almost every area of our lives, so we should aim at consistency. Our speech, our daily conduct, our love, our faith actions, and our moral values need to be in line with the God whom we serve. They are reflections of Him. When people see these things in our lives, they make the assumption that we are living that way because that is what God is like. Their understanding of that connection is correct. Our lives are to reflect the character of God. Unfortunately, we are imperfect mirrors of that perfection. We let words slip out of our mouths that God would never utter. We do things in our daily lives that show we are imperfect mirrors. At times our lives are examples of inconsistency. We cheapen love by using it for our ends, which of course means it wasn’t God’s type of love in the first place. We give our love with conditions. Our belief in Jesus does not permeate every action. Sometimes we act out of fear, not trusting the faithfulness of God. And there are times when we step into the sewer of moral failure. We walk down one of those well-defined “do not enter” zones in our sinning. That is why understanding that we are an example to others can be so helpful. If we are conscious that others are looking at us, following us, it can serve as one more restraining force for good in our lives. If we realize that if we behave in an ungodly manner and others might follow our example, it can serve to restrain our actions. I know there have been times in my life when temptation has come knocking and the reason I have not answered the door is because of my wife, my kids, my profession and my congregation. Each of these is a positive pull on my life. I ask myself, “Is it worth losing all these for this sin?” The answer is consistently negative. And I am positive I have chosen the correct action down through these years. People are following you. Become an better example.
The Arnold Journey 