You Shall Follow the Lord Your God
The last three weeks we talked about a walking with God, citing Enoch and Noah, in Genesis 5:22,24,
and 6:9, and walking before God citing Abram in Genesis 17:1. We saw walking with God entailed a walk,
exercised by faith of bringing Him nearer and nearer us, and making ourselves more conscious of His
nearness to us. Wherever we find ourselves, we may find to have Him with us. Enoch and Noah never
found themselves alone, for they walked with God. Then Abram as being told to walk before God, we
saw the principle of Hebrews 4:13 that proves to us to be very helpful here, and that was to living a life
that we walk with a continual consciousness of being open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom
we have to do, or in other words, to give an account. That we should not have desires to elude His
observation. And with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we can and should walk by the Spirit, so we do not
carry out the desires of the flesh.
Then lastly today, we look at God's command to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 13:4, "that you shall
follow the Lord your God." If we follow someone, we should definitely have that person in sight so as to
accomplish this. It is an eager, wanting, desirous attitude to draw nearer and nearer to Him, and be
more and more like Him, and continuing to fix our eyes more and more upon Him. Are we any closer to
Him than we were a year ago? Are we any more acquainted with Him than a year ago? Are we any more
like Him than a year ago? Bible reading, sermon listening, prayer devoting lives will bring us and keep us
closer to Him as time goes on. And following God and the direction He points us in will keep us in that
straight and narrow gate that leads to life.
How many times does Jesus say follow Me? We see it in Him calling us to take up our cross and
FOLLOW Him, the Apostles have left everything and FOLLOWED Him, and My sheep hear My voice and I
know them, and they FOLLOW Me. If our Lord and Master says we should follow Him, how important
must this be? Is it not for our good and for our survival? For He has words of eternal life, to whom else
should or could we go to and follow? He is our example to follow, the One to whom we should be
conformed to, the One who knows how to get us to our final destination. Alexander MacLaren states,
"Do not let your decisions out run His providence. Keep back the impatience that would hurry on and
wait for His ripening purposes to ripen and His counsels to develop themselves. Walk after God and be
sure you do not go in front of your Guide, or you will lose both your way and your Guide."
So what? What difference does all this make that we have covered in these past four weeks? If the
greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, our mind, our soul, and our
strength, how could we love One with whom we are not acquainted with and walk with, and get to
know? Jesus says in John 14:15-17,"If you love me, you will keep My commandments, and I will ask the
Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may be with you forever, that is the Spirit of truth
whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, because He abides with you,
and will be in You." By faith we can see Him, and if we can see Him, we can follow Him, and if we follow
Him, we will most assuredly become like Him. For we know that when He appears, we will be like Him,
because we will see Him just as He is.
Elder Randy Slak
and 6:9, and walking before God citing Abram in Genesis 17:1. We saw walking with God entailed a walk,
exercised by faith of bringing Him nearer and nearer us, and making ourselves more conscious of His
nearness to us. Wherever we find ourselves, we may find to have Him with us. Enoch and Noah never
found themselves alone, for they walked with God. Then Abram as being told to walk before God, we
saw the principle of Hebrews 4:13 that proves to us to be very helpful here, and that was to living a life
that we walk with a continual consciousness of being open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom
we have to do, or in other words, to give an account. That we should not have desires to elude His
observation. And with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we can and should walk by the Spirit, so we do not
carry out the desires of the flesh.
Then lastly today, we look at God's command to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 13:4, "that you shall
follow the Lord your God." If we follow someone, we should definitely have that person in sight so as to
accomplish this. It is an eager, wanting, desirous attitude to draw nearer and nearer to Him, and be
more and more like Him, and continuing to fix our eyes more and more upon Him. Are we any closer to
Him than we were a year ago? Are we any more acquainted with Him than a year ago? Are we any more
like Him than a year ago? Bible reading, sermon listening, prayer devoting lives will bring us and keep us
closer to Him as time goes on. And following God and the direction He points us in will keep us in that
straight and narrow gate that leads to life.
How many times does Jesus say follow Me? We see it in Him calling us to take up our cross and
FOLLOW Him, the Apostles have left everything and FOLLOWED Him, and My sheep hear My voice and I
know them, and they FOLLOW Me. If our Lord and Master says we should follow Him, how important
must this be? Is it not for our good and for our survival? For He has words of eternal life, to whom else
should or could we go to and follow? He is our example to follow, the One to whom we should be
conformed to, the One who knows how to get us to our final destination. Alexander MacLaren states,
"Do not let your decisions out run His providence. Keep back the impatience that would hurry on and
wait for His ripening purposes to ripen and His counsels to develop themselves. Walk after God and be
sure you do not go in front of your Guide, or you will lose both your way and your Guide."
So what? What difference does all this make that we have covered in these past four weeks? If the
greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, our mind, our soul, and our
strength, how could we love One with whom we are not acquainted with and walk with, and get to
know? Jesus says in John 14:15-17,"If you love me, you will keep My commandments, and I will ask the
Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may be with you forever, that is the Spirit of truth
whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, because He abides with you,
and will be in You." By faith we can see Him, and if we can see Him, we can follow Him, and if we follow
Him, we will most assuredly become like Him. For we know that when He appears, we will be like Him,
because we will see Him just as He is.
Elder Randy Slak