“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” (I Timothy 4:12 NASB)
Ripples in water are more formally known as capillary waves, caused by the subtle interaction of wind and water, or the physical interaction of the water with another object. That’s the technical definition written by John Stoughton. My childhood definition would be less scholarly. At the most I would say that ripples are the expanding circles you see when you through an object, such as a rock, in the water. Let me remind you that all the video games children play today were not available when I was a boy. No, those were the times when cars that drove themselves were only on cartoons and aside from Saturdays, we were not glued to the TV once the daily episode of Superman went off. That was some time before supper was served. Back in the day, we created our own games and one of them that a friend and I played was throwing rocks in a nearby canal that traveled under a bridge, not far from my house at the time. We did not know about any of the scientific, molecular changes in the water that were occurring when we threw the rocks in the water. Molecular change! Ha! We just wanted to see whose rock would have the biggest ripple effect.
As Christians, each one of us, including you, we should be creating some ripple effects that form concentric circles just like throwing a rock in the water. We can have this ever-expanding effect by outwardly demonstrating by our behaviors which include exactly what the Apostle Paul wrote in the verse above. Be examples by our speech, our conduct, our demonstration of love and faith in God. Be an example of what a pure life looks like, an example of how those who believe live. Let’s create a ripple effect among the church, but let’s take it further. Let’s take it to those who have yet to join the ranks of believers.
Today, let us commit to creating a ripple effect, not competing as me and my childhood friend who threw rocks in a nearby body of water once did, but actually commit to living such that we create impact an expanding, bigger body; the body which we call earth where believers need their old faith reinforced and unbelievers need to let new faith relocate them from lost to found. Let’s create some ripple effects today! Be blessed!
“Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God’s glory.” (I Corinthians 10:31 Good News Translation)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King