Who Will you Follow?

Who Will You Follow? 

By Sarah P.

Who will you follow? In today’s world where life can pull us a million different directions, finding the answer can be hard. So many things grab for our attention: guys, social media, grades, popularity, chores, family. Some things seem worthwhile, some really are worthwhile, and some look like fun but aren’t all that great; how’s a girl to choose? What are we supposed to do when every inch of our lives is vying for our attention and promising to make us happy? 

Joshua wasn’t undecided about who he would follow. He stood up in front of the entire Israelite nation and proclaimed this challenge: 

“…choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15, NLT, emphasis mine) 

And you probably know what the people said in response. “…‘We would never abandon the Lord and serve other gods. For the Lord our God is the one who rescued us…we, too, will serve the Lord, for he alone is our God.’” (Joshua 24:17-18) 

Yet we find only a few chapters later, in Judges 2, that God is saying this to those very same people: “…you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this?” (Judges 2:2) 

Maybe that’s what we do. We get saved and pledge our allegiance to Christ, promising to follow Him. And then a few months later it’s like nothing ever happened. 

Ladies, I’ve got some news. It’s not just those disobedient Israelites who tend to fall away. 

It’s us. 

We pick other gods to follow: popularity, romance, social media, self-image. And we forget that promise to God. We forget to follow Him. We lose our vision. 

I was recently asked the question, “Where do you find purpose?” And, honestly, that would be hard for many of us to answer. What drives you, what makes you want to live? If you’re really being honest, is that whatever you’re chasing filling you up? Is it satisfying you craving for love? Is it being what you need? 

Or do you know deep down that the stuff you’re chasing just isn’t enough? 

Jesus said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5) 

When we follow other gods, we keep Jesus from satisfying us. We’re like grape vines trying to thrive off of Dr. Pepper: it’s not going to work. We chase after the empty sweetness of this world instead of drinking deeply of the Living Water.   

If you’ve wandered away from God, I earnestly ask you to run back home. Throw out the other stuff. Get rid of it. It will only hurt you and leave you empty. Believe me, dear sisters. It will only hurt you. Our only real source of purpose is Christ. Only in Jesus—the Living Water—can we thrive. Only in Him are we truly satisfied. 

Who will you follow? 

God Bless, 

Sarah