~Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

I love today’s text.  We are to follow God as children!  What a nice picture that paints. As in the photo, we are to follow after God in the same manner: with trust, with love, mimicking His every move, and looking up to Him as our hero.  In fact, He is our hero! He is the true hero as He gave His life for us!

Many claim to “follow God” but their actions speak quite a different story.  They follow God on Sunday but live quite a different life the rest of the week.

~James 1:18-22 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

How did Jesus beget us? Verse 18 says with the word of truth. We are born again by the Word of God (also see 1 Peter 1:23 and John 17:17)! That is why the Scriptures are so important!  They cannot be replaced by traditions or men’s words.  It is the Scriptures that lead one to repentance and salvation.  Is it any wonder why God’s Word has been attacked since the turn of the 19th Century?  It’s the devil’s way to keep man confused and convinced that God’s words are not to be found today.

Furthermore, God’s Word changes people (2 Cor. 5:17, Eph. 4:24, Col. 3:10). Today’s text gives us the foundation to a changed life and that is to follow after Christ as a child follows his Mommy and Daddy – with all confidence that what God has started in our hearts at the moment of our salvation, He will grow us into spiritual adults – if we follow Him (Phil. 1:6).