Galatians chapter 2 verses 11-13 (NIV)
When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
Peter still made mistakes; he was human after all. He still occasionally worried about what people thought. Paul chastised him for this because his actions led others to act the same way.
We need to be aware of the consequences of our behaviour. We don’t want our actions to be the cause of leading others astray. If someone we look up to acts in a certain way, it can be easy to copy them. Most of the time it will be right to do so, but if it doesn’t feel right, we need to listen to our conscience. Those we look up to are only human and make mistakes just like we do. But we need to show them compassion when they do. After all, we’d want people to do likewise for us.
Dear Lord,
Help me to remember that others may be watching my actions. May I never be the cause of leading someone astray. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.