Whom Do You Follow?
Do you have favourites that you follow? Our world is full of huge social media machines such as Instagram and Twitter that entice people to focus in on the accomplishments and opinions of others. Some of us can spend hours scrolling through posts to see what our favourite people are talking about or which sporting team has the most success, for example.
For many people, their value is centered on how many people acknowledge their efforts or like their accomplishments. There is a constant need to see how many or who is following their endeavours via social media.
With so many people clamoring for our attention, it is hard to know where to place our loyalties sometimes. It is very easy to jump in on current trends or to be following high profile people, just to make our own image look good. Artificial highs ensue when the target we are following succeeds but lows also appear when things are in reverse.
We really should consider to whom we wish to devote our time and energies. What will uplift us rather than drain us? What will help us and not hurt us?
God directs us as to what we should do when it comes to our choice of whom we should follow:
“It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him.” (Deuteronomy 13:4 NIV)
God is not in the business of numbering His followers. Each of us is important to Him. We are His loving creations. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t need to prove Himself to any of us either. He is worthy of our devotion because He is the creator of the world. He built us. He sustains us. He nurtures us.
God knows that there are many distractions out there with many places and people wanting our attention. His directive is for us to lose sight of the rest of this world and focus on Him alone. Our Heavenly Father knows how we can get lost in the cares and concerns of this world. He tries to lighten our load by asking us to cast our cares on Him and trust Him to lead us on the appropriate paths.
We are asked not only follow Him, but to revere Him as well. That means giving Him all honour and praise for what He has done for us. As we give God our adoration, we are watering the gardens of our hearts with waters of His grace and mercy.
In this Scripture passage we are given other keys to success – obeying God, for one. It is hard to faithfully follow someone if we continually want to do our own thing. Rules and guidelines help to keep us safe.
As we unpack this verse, we learn that God expects His followers to serve Him. It’s one thing to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His teachings. It’s another to put that into action in service to God’s People. Jesus doesn’t want passive followers, but instead those that truly engage with Him and seek to do His will.
The last part of the Deuteronomy verse is critical as well. “Hold fast to Him” is important for every fibre of our being. Any earthly people we try to follow will mess up at some point as no human is perfect. They will falter at telling the truth or make poor decisions. They will do what it takes to get ahead.
We can hold fast to God because He is unchanging. He designed our world and maintains it. He keeps His promises every time. There is no empty rhetoric floating around from our Heavenly Father. He is our anchor in all of life’s circumstances with an answer to every concern we face.
The verse from Deuteronomy is clear – it is not that we ought to follow God. God’s Word says you MUST follow Him. It is imperative for our well-being that we do.
As you try to find your way through all the media and influences of the world, turn to God. Follow Him alone. He will direct your path to the way of life everlasting.
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