Who Are You Following?

Many years ago, there was commercial on television, with a recurring theme being repeated throughout; "I wanna be like Mike." Of course, the person who was being looked up to was Michael Jordan. If the truth be known, I cannot even remember the product that was being advertised.

In my own childhood, I remember having certain heroes from the sports world. In baseball, it was two St. Louis Cardinals, Lou Brock and Bob Gibson. Lou Brock had an incredible base stealing ability. He is the only player I have seen who was capable of stealing home plate on several occasions. Bob Gibson had an incredible strikeout record. He played multiple complete games, which is unheard of today. He even played back to back games quite successfully. Because of him, the pitching mound was lowered.

In football, it was Gale Sayers, who played for the Chicago Bears. He had an amazing ability to stop, pivot, jump, then turn on the afterburners, outrunning and out-maneuvering the competition.

In basketball, it was Bill Russell, the player coach for the Boston Celtics. He completely revolutionized the position of center. He was very unselfish, as seen by his stats on assists. He had the ability even to stop Will Chamberlain, who surpassed him in height by a few inches. Bill Russell was a team player in all respects. He also was a player coach for the Boston Celtics for several years.

There are also those who were like heroes in my spiritual life. Billy Graham stands out, as it was through his ministry that I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Brian Loewen, from my church where I was baptized, was a dear mentor and example in my life in my later teens and on into my adult life. My wife and I would continue to go back and visit with him and his wife, Della. Interestingly, my best friend, Virgil Loewen, was someone I appreciate greatly as he walked with me through some very troubling times. I still refer to him as my best friend, though we are miles apart.

However, I would encourage us to be very careful as to whom we model our lives after today. We ought to ask several questions. "Who am I following?” “Who are they following?” And to be very precise, "Who is their God?”

Just as the people in Jeremiah's day, we have choices as to how we are going to live our lives. We can choose whom we want to follow or imitate.

All who claim to belong to God must follow Him wholeheartedly.

Jeremiah 10:1–22 (NASB95)

Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord, “Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Although the nations are terrified by them; For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. “They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter. “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good.” There is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. But they are altogether stupid and foolish In their discipline of delusion—their idol is wood! Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; Violet and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skilled men. But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation. Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses. Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The Lord of hosts is His name. Pick up your bundle from the ground, You who dwell under siege! For thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land At this time, And will cause them distress, That they may be found.” Woe is me, because of my injury! My wound is incurable. But I said, “Truly this is a sickness, And I must bear it.” My tent is destroyed, And all my ropes are broken; My sons have gone from me and are no more. There is no one to stretch out my tent again Or to set up my curtains. For the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flock is scattered. The sound of a report! Behold, it comes— A great commotion out of the land of the north— To make the cities of Judah A desolation, a haunt of jackals.

An Idol Is a Zero. - 10.1-5, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15

It seems as if the people of Judah just did not seem to have their brains engaged properly. Had they been paying attention to their parents and grandparents and listened to the oral stories passed from one generation to the next; they would have recalled how Jehovah God had taken care of them in every way from day one.

Sadly, like many today, they were sidetracked with a variety of thoughts and ideas from the world that seemed much more appealing than what they had been taught about the Lord. They felt that their person type of worship was much more special and unique because they could adjust it to the way they wanted it to be. Maybe it was so they would not be offensive to other people group or that they felt they could adjust it to accommodate the sin of the day. The logic was that if a person could form and shape Jehovah God to what they found acceptable, it would mean so much more in the religious aspect of their lives, for they would feel comfortable and not convicted. In addition, they probably thought that it would be much nicer to be able to identify more completely with the surrounding nations, and not be so narrow in their relationship with God.

Listen to the following verses that God shares with them. Jeremiah 10:3, “For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.”

Jeremiah 10:5 ““Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good.””

Now consider what God thinks as to just how foolish this is, as He points out that the object which they worship is no greater than the people who created these idols. Jeremiah 10:8 “But they are altogether stupid and foolish In their discipline of delusion—their idol is wood!”

If that is not enough of a wake-up call to reality, God then reminds them that these so-called gods could not and did not create anything, since they were created. In addition, they will eventually be destroyed. Jeremiah 10:11, “Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”” After all, what kind of a god is that? What hope could there possibly be for anyone who would trust in those man-made images?

When we look to apply this principle to ourselves, we have to ask the question, who are we following today? Or maybe, the question would be better worded by saying what are we following today? If it is truly God, we need to ask ourselves another question; am I truly being obedient to His principles and directives as to how I am to live my life? Or are we simply using the world’s philosophy, mixing it with our understanding of Scripture, in a futile attempt to try to fit in with our society? Are we actually willing to blindly follow someone or some other philosophy or way of thinking because it seems to be more enlightened than what we have experienced by simply following God's Word?

Idols are always helpless, worthless, and a big zero. All who claim to belong to God must follow Him wholeheartedly.

Not Following God Is a No-Go. - 10.17-22

These verses are a reminder that because the people of Judah were choosing not to follow the Lord, there would most certainly be destruction, regardless of what the false prophets were saying.

The people had been misguided and misdirected by the so-called spiritual leadership. The so-called spiritual leaders had not even sought after the one source of true wisdom, Who is God. Instead, their advice and counsel came from the source of deceit and treachery, Satan.

Today, many people are easily led stray by individuals who seem to have silver, syrupy speech, and powerful, persuasive words. These people talk an incredible talk. However, they present ideas which distract us from the Lord and will lead us where we are not to go. These people may have a few worthwhile ideas, yet still deny the need to follow God.

If people choose to follow after materialism, they will coexist with moth and rust. If people pursue earthly relationships, they will set themselves up for a lifetime of disappointment. If a person makes their goal a career, they will find themselves becoming a slave or possibly unemployed. If people pursue the pleasures that this world offers, they will find themselves having a deepening, gnawing sense of dissatisfaction.

My friends, anybody who chooses not to follow God alone, is on a no-go destination. However, if a person choose to follow Jesus Christ, they will avoid eternal heartache and sorrow, while experiencing true peace and joy that comes from knowing our Savior.

All who claim to belong to God must follow Him wholeheartedly.

Our God Is a Hero. - 10.6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 16

In this section of verses, we hear what sounds like a rallying cheer for our Lord and all that He is and all that He does.

Jeremiah 10:6–7 “There is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”

Jeremiah 10:10 “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.”

Jeremiah 10:12–13 “It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses.”

Jeremiah 10:16 “The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The Lord of hosts is His name.”

Wow! It seems to be obvious that there can be no comparison to God. He is great! There is no part of speech that anyone or anything else has that is greater than God.

Not only is God great, but His Name is mighty in power. You could present a group of the greatest, wisest, most creative people of all history; a who’s who of the greatest of the great; then compare them all to God. Do you know what the result would be? The last part of verse seven states, "there is none like you."

You can compare God to whoever the greatest person is; the most philosophically correct deity mankind can create; they are all nothing. Verse 10 spells this out for us. “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.” Everyone else who claims that they are God or who thinks they have access to another God, are all liars. There is only one true God

This one true God is the only God who is alive. He was not made. He was not fabricated in someone's imagination. He was from the very beginning. He is eternal. He controls nature and all that there is just as He sees fit.

How can He possibly do this? My friends, he is the one who created the world and all that is in it. He made everything. Thus creation science is important. Every other theory about the origin of the world and humanity denies God.

Who is this? "The Lord Almighty is his name."

Conclusion

Who are we following? We dare not be like the mice with the Pied Piper, who followed willingly to their death behind the mesmerizing music.

If a person chooses to follow anything or anyone or any idea, besides the Lord God Almighty, that individual is following a zero and their life will be a no-go. Worse than that, they will be eternally miserable.

If an individual is truly following God, that means that they have accepted, by faith, the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. That individual will know that our God truly is an awesome God. He is indeed a hero.

Who are you following? If it is Jesus Christ, then this must be obvious: All who claim to belong to God must follow Him wholeheartedly.