Click For Audio Version
The individual always has to make a choice.
Every day, sometimes every minute, you make choices.
Do you want fruit on your oatmeal at breakfast? Will you wear your brown sweater? Will you pick up the mail before or after the grocery run? Over and over we make choices. Some are much more important than others.
Most would agree that where you work, who you marry, and where you will live rate high on your list of life choices. Some choices might not seem as important to you at the moment they are decided, yet they later cause us much relief or pain, depending on the decisions you made in the moment.
Have you ever thought how glad you were that you didn’t go with your friend to the store the afternoon of the terrible storm?
Did you regret that you didn’t spend time saying a few kind words to your neighbor, when you learned of his unexpected death?
We all have decisions that we appreciate, and those that we regret.
The Word of God, the Bible, is filled with advise for daily living and gives us countless ways to help us make the right decisions.
We all know, or certainly should know, the 10 Commandments. But it goes further. There are bits of advice that smooth the decision making. For instance,
Exodus 23:2a NKJV 2 You shall not follow a crowd to do evil…
Think of the times in your life, when that short phrase would have saved you much sorrow, regret, and guilt.
You know your own feelings and beliefs. As a follower of Christ, you know right from wrong.
Yet, some follow the crowd whether that seems good or bad to them. They don’t want to back down, lose the popularity and approval of the pack, or seem to stand out from the majority of those you are with at that moment. So, “crowd mentality” takes over. It pushes away our common sense and at its worst, pushes away our moral stand and beliefs.
We go with the crowd even when it is headed for evil.
Now, I realize that we are not all very likely to overturn cars or loot stores with the pack.
Yet, have we ever been in a group of several women who are gossiping away. They hit upon one woman, not present, and gleefully tear her down. You might not say a word against her, but then again, you do not defend her either. Perhaps, it seems too much effort to even throw in a kind word or two, or simply change the subject.
No, instead, we go along with the crowd doing evil.
All that isn’t pleasing to God is evil, by the way.
Sometimes, we defend ourselves. “Well, I sometimes go to church. Of course, I never stole a thing. I am kind to the neighborhood stray cat.”
The list might be impressive only to yourself, but none the less, it is what runs through your mind.
We see only that which makes us look good.
In actuality, we are blind.
Remember when Jesus met blind people?
One of those times is recorded in Matthew 20.
Matthew 20:34 NKJV So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.
A touch from Jesus.
Not just knowing About Him, but allowing Him to get close to you, allowing Him to touch you.
Wanting to be healed and allowing Christ to do His miraculous work on your heart…and eyes.
Notice the end of this verse.
When the blind were touched by Jesus, and their eyes received sight…
…they FOLLOWED HIM.
May we leave the crowd we are following…and do the same.