I attended a professional development day for teachers today at my school. One segment of it was an exercise in arts and crafts. Now I don't have an artistic bone in my body. I'm no good at that kind of stuff. So I just watched how one of the teachers at my table was doing hers, and I copied what she did. Whatever she did with her paper, I did with mine. Finally, after a little while, she looked at me and asked, "Mr. Richardson, are you being like most men and not reading the directions for yourself?". Needless to say, we all cracked up laughing.
She was right. I was following her instead of reading and following the directions for myself. Hey, don't be too hard on me. After all, the coach sitting next to me was doing the same thing! (It really must be a "guy thing"!)
That got me thinking about Christianity...
How many of us follow other Christians and copy them instead of reading and following God's directions (The Bible) for ourselves?
Maybe it's a preacher, a grandparent, or a mentor that we look up to. No matter how wise and godly they may be, they're still just people. People who have flaws and imperfections.
That teacher could have accidentally led me the wrong direction. And because I followed her instead of the directions that were given to me, I could have messed up. That would have been sad.
That person you admire and follow can accidentally lead you the wrong direction. Or they can let you down. People do fail, you know?! And if you're not cultivating your own relationship with God in His Word, you'll unknowingly follow them down the wrong path or end up majorly confused.
Follow God by reading and living by His Word. Sure, people can advise and encourage you. But remember that God alone is perfect and all-wise. It is Him, not a person, that we should ultimately set our eyes on daily.
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