Who Should I Follow? | by Zack Bair
I was about to perform a wedding ceremony a while ago, and right before the groom and I walked to the front, the groom’s uncle said asked him, “Are you sure you want to do this? Marriage is a long time… It’s not like dating…”
Have you ever noticed how many people attempt to come into our lives to attempt to influence us? Regardless of how blunt or subtle, I’m sure there have been thousands in my life–from friends to teachers, coaches to family members, counselors to pastors. In 26 years of my life, I’ve been given marriage advise from people who aren’t married, parenting advice from people who aren’t parents, ministry advice from people who aren’t in ministry, and life advise from people who aren’t happy. But how do I know which advise to listen to and who to follow?
Hebrews 13:7, which says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Did you notice it says, “consider the outcome of their life” before it says to “imitate their faith”?
This is why I followed Pastor Larry Bettencourt for 6 years and still consider him a spiritual father to me today. This is why I’ve followed Pastor John Nuzzo for 8 years, jokingly saying to Lauren that he’ll have to pry me away with a crow-bar to get me to stop. This is why I knock on Pastor Craig Debower’s door and Pastor Jody Bartell’s door for wisdom and advice. This is why I’ve listened closely to advice about parenting from Pastor Steve Moore. This is why I seek time with Dr. Phillip Richards and Scott Fletcher. This is why I deeply cherish Mike Steidel’s encouragement. As I look at the outcome of the life experience of these men, I say, “I want my marriage to be like theirs… I want to be as good a father as they… I want my kids to be like theirs… I want to love people like they love people… I look at the fruit of their lives, and I want to imitate their faith.”
The next time someone gives you advice, I challenge you to consider the outcome of his or her life before you imitate his or her faith. Hope that helps!
