Latest Devotion
Leading by Example
By: Trish Monley
Monday, May 18, 2026
Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9 (NLT)
As a mother of three children that are now adults, I view myself as a nurturing person. My current job is to be a full-time caregiver for the elderly, and one of my clients is a delightful 88-year-old woman named Aggie. The time we spend together is rewarding for me, but it's also helpful for her since she suffers from dementia.
One of my responsibilities is to ensure that Aggie drinks plenty of water, especially when we're outdoors. Since Aggie is extremely forgetful, it's something I must continually prompt her to do. She always follows my directions, but she usually only takes a few sips. But I've noticed that if I drink my own water with her, she tends to consume much more. Then it dawned on me. When I lead her by example, Aggie follows my lead joyfully, without complaining.
Throughout the scriptures, we see Jesus leading others by example. He demonstrated acts of humility, service, and compassion, and He invested time in people and relationships. But Jesus also spoke in illustrations and parables. For example, when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, He told her the water He was offering would quench her thirst forever.
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14
As His modern-day followers, we must ask ourselves this question: What are we thirsting for in our lives? Are we overly focused on worldly possessions? Do we always need "more" to satisfy our thirst? Are we always complaining, or are we content with what the Lord has given us? Finally, are we joyfully following the Lord, or are we just going through the motions?
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Psalm 103:8
When Jesus asks us to do something, He speaks the truth kindly, gently, and lovingly. As Christ followers, our focus and our ambition must be to become more like Jesus. It won't always be easy, but the Holy Spirit will be there to guide us and help us. The verse above (Psalm 103:8) is a great example of what being more like Jesus looks like!
When we are compassionate and kind, other people will notice. Being slow to anger and abounding in love is a wonderful to point people towards God! All it takes is following Jesus' lead.