We play Follow the Leader every day.
There is no shortage of influencers online and no shortage of followers. God’s Word teaches us the importance of following. It distinguishes between following that is good and following that is not.
Ray and I continue to enjoy individual outings and sleepovers with our local grandchildren. Last Friday night we had a fun time when we followed a seven-year-old leader. While we were downtown, we decided to take the walk that we intend to take every day. I asked our grandson where he wanted to walk, and he was unsure. I told him to start walking, and we would follow him. He’s a middle child; it must have been fun to lead the way. He was a good leader. Notty and I were contented followers.
Each of us plays Follow the Leader every day. What matters is who we follow.
First, let’s look at Biblical warnings about the wrong kind of following. In Isaiah God said that some people are in effect following themselves.
“I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts . . .”
Isaiah 65:2
The apostle Paul wrote about some who:
. . . have already turned aside to follow Satan.
1 Timothy 5:15b
In the apostle Peter’s second letter, he warned that mockers will come, “following after their own lusts” (2 Peter 3:3) and that:
Many will follow their sensuality,
and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
and in their greed they will exploit you with false words . . .
2 Peter 2:2-3a
When Jesus came to earth, He came as a leader. He taught about the right kind of following by teaching us the centrality of following Him. One day He walked by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter and Andrew his brother, and told them:
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Matthew 4:19b-20
Then he saw the brothers James and John. He called them, too.
Immediately they left the boat and their father,
and followed Him.
Matthew 4:22
Jesus later said:
“. . . he who does not take his cross
and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”
Matthew 10:38
We want to follow righteously. We want to demonstrate the right kind of following to our children. We want them to be the right kind of followers themselves. In his first letter, Peter reminded us of the perfect motivation for following:
. . . Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example for you
to follow in His steps . . .
1 Peter 2:21b