{"id":6796,"date":"2016-01-20T17:09:21","date_gmt":"2016-01-20T17:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/?p=6796"},"modified":"2016-01-20T17:09:21","modified_gmt":"2016-01-20T17:09:21","slug":"an-example-to-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/rawfaith\/an-example-to-others\/","title":{"rendered":"An Example To Others"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">After being awarded the Ballon d\u2019Or title, this weekend was all about Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou stadium. The 28 year old argentine striker presented his fifth ballon d\u2019Or trophy to the on looking fans, players and coaching staff.<\/p>\n<p>At the award ceremony it was to be Messi\u2019s night with him gaining 41.33% of the vote, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with 27.76% and fellow Barcelona team mate Neymar Jr coming third with 7.86%. Messi\u2019s victory means that between them, Messi and Ronaldo have won the award over the past eight years.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s why Messi won the most prestigious football award for 2015:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">61 games, 52 goals and 26 assists.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">A goal every 101 minutes and an assist every 202 minutes<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">Best minutes-per-goal rate<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">Directly involved in 49 goals in La Liga \u2013 34 scored and 15 assists \u2013 which was the joint most with Ronaldo in 2015 across the top five European leagues.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">Scored in all six club tournaments in 2015, as Barcelona won five of them.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The delights of his footballing prowess have once again been awarded; recognising his talent and ability to outclass his opposition. However, with the award comes the responsibility of being the best. As the best player in the world, Lionel Messi has the added responsibility (like many famous footballers) to set a good example to those who look up to him. Setting an example to live by is not an easy task and many fall short of their potential to honour God. Here\u2019s what the bible say\u2019s about being an example to others:<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">\u2018Always set a good example for others. Be sincere and serious when you teach.\u2019<\/span><\/em> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Titus+2&amp;version=CEV\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">Titus 2<\/span><\/a>:7 (CEV)<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">\u2018Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your father in heaven.\u2019<\/span><\/em> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew+5&amp;version=CEV\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">Matthew 5<\/span><\/a>:16 (CEV)<\/p>\n<p>Many of us look up to footballers. They are our heroes; at times we think they have the lifestyles we\u2019d like for ourselves. Unfortunately, far too often footballers lose sight of their purpose and fall away from the good and positive influence they can provide society. Something John warns us to about when he says:<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">\u2018Dear friend, don\u2019t copy the evil deeds of others! Follow the example of people who do kind deeds. They are God\u2019s children, but those who are always doing evil have never seen God.\u2019<\/span><\/em> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=3+John+1&amp;version=CEV\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\">3 John 1<\/span><\/a>:11 (CEV)<\/p>\n<p>I urge you to remember in your prayers footballers like Lionel Messi, who although may feel a million miles away, does have a huge influence over many who look up to him. Pray that he may set an example that honours God and all that is good.<\/p>\n<div class=\"linkwithin_hook\" id=\"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/rawfaith\/an-example-to-others\/\"><\/div><script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png?w=750\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After being awarded the Ballon d\u2019Or title, this weekend was all about Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou stadium. The 28 year old argentine striker presented his fifth ballon d\u2019Or trophy to the on looking fans, players and coaching staff. At the award ceremony it was to be Messi\u2019s night with him gaining 41.33% of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1073],"tags":[497,83,87,1184,1187,1185,1186],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7PoLK-1LC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6854,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/rawfaith\/penalty-of-praise\/","url_meta":{"origin":6796,"position":0},"title":"Penalty of Praise","date":"17 February 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Luis Suarez netted a hat-trick at the Nou Camp this weekend when Barcelona hosted Celta Vigo for a league game. 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Yesterday champions Manchester City came through a sticky second-half against Southampton, winning 3-2 after goals from Ricky Lambert\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bouras Bulletin&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3135,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/the-bouras-bulletin\/the-bouras-bulletin-37\/","url_meta":{"origin":6796,"position":4},"title":"The Bouras Bulletin","date":"1 October 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Europe staged a dramatic final-day comeback to overturn a five-point deficit and retain the Ryder Cup. Francisco Molinari finished all-square with Tiger Woods on the 18th green to secure a European win by 14 1\/2 points to 13 1\/2. 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