"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Psalms 119:18 (KJV)
“Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: 9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.” II Thess. 3:8-9
One very important task every Christian is responsible for is to be a good, Christian example (“ensample”) to others. Many do not read the Word of God for themselves, have not learned what God has for them to do, and are more reliant on a godly example than they should be. It is dangerous to their spirituality to totally follow someone else, but it is common.
For this reason Paul, the Apostle, was very aware of eyes attuned to his behavior and actions and wrote some important points to be “… an ensample unto you to follow …”. In II Thessalonians 3, he pointed some of them out:
It would be better for all if each Christian would faithfully read God’s Word, and obey all that he is shown in its preserved pages, but not many do that. They often follow the actions and behavior of those they associate with. With this reality in mind, our responsibility to be a proper, godly “ensample” is thrust on us. Lead those that are watching or following your example down the right paths. There are eyes on your testimony — constantly!