It’s a New Year. Again. A fresh slate of…
We’re mere hours, minutes, and seconds into the very first day of 2025. The clock is ticking.
How would you fill in the blank? In 2025, follow your _______.
One popular option? “Heart.” You’ll find “Follow your heart” splashed all over the mindsets and media posts of millions. Shall I, shall we, follow our hearts in this New Year?
No! NO! A thousand times: NOOOOOOO! Why? God says, “The heart is more deceitful than anything.
It is beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
This is an understatement. Jesus adds, “To be sure, out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and blasphemies.” (Matthew 15:19) In short, I have a sinful nature. You have a sinful nature. When our gaze is only inward, at our own heart and mind, we’ll find no good thing.
Sociology and psychology say that we’re born good, at least neutral, and with a clean slate. Sociology and psychology are wrong. Sociology and psychology take a back seat to theology here. Theology/Bible/God says we’re born sinful, evil, that we’ve gone wrong even before day one: “Certainly, I was guilty when I was born. I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)
So much for “Follow your heart,” that lyin’, cheatin’, deceivin’ enemy within the walls of our very existence.
Other suggestions? “Follow your dreams.” Nope. See above. Consider also what the Lord says: “Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream. But let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully.” (Jeremiah 23:28)
Other suggestions? Follow your passion? Follow your vision? Follow your dreams? Follow your leader? Follow your crowd? Follow the latest and greatest influencers on social media? No, nope, nada, negative, no way, absolutely not!
Follow what, then? There are clues, more than that, answers to be found in or near the Scriptures referenced above. “Let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully.” (Jeremiah 23:28b) “This is what the Lord says. Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh, and who turns his heart away from the Lord. But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by water.” (Jeremiah 17:5,7,8a)
And there is the one who speaks the Word, the Word made flesh, the Word of God himself: Jesus our Savior. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27,28)
Whatever awaits in 2025, Jesus will be there: speaking, holding, caring, directing, protecting, saving. Let’s follow our Savior/Shepherd/Lord. Let’s listen to the utter clarity and absolute power of his voice where he has promised to be found – not in our traitorous, befuddled hearts and minds – but in the Means of Grace: the preached and written Word, the water and remembrance of Holy Baptism, and swaddled in the bread and wine of his Holy Supper.
A Blessed New Year to you and yours!
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
- 365 days
- 12 months
- 365 days
- 8,760 hours
- 525,600 minutes
- 31,536,000 seconds
We’re mere hours, minutes, and seconds into the very first day of 2025. The clock is ticking.
How would you fill in the blank? In 2025, follow your _______.
One popular option? “Heart.” You’ll find “Follow your heart” splashed all over the mindsets and media posts of millions. Shall I, shall we, follow our hearts in this New Year?
No! NO! A thousand times: NOOOOOOO! Why? God says, “The heart is more deceitful than anything.
It is beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
This is an understatement. Jesus adds, “To be sure, out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and blasphemies.” (Matthew 15:19) In short, I have a sinful nature. You have a sinful nature. When our gaze is only inward, at our own heart and mind, we’ll find no good thing.
Sociology and psychology say that we’re born good, at least neutral, and with a clean slate. Sociology and psychology are wrong. Sociology and psychology take a back seat to theology here. Theology/Bible/God says we’re born sinful, evil, that we’ve gone wrong even before day one: “Certainly, I was guilty when I was born. I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)
So much for “Follow your heart,” that lyin’, cheatin’, deceivin’ enemy within the walls of our very existence.
Other suggestions? “Follow your dreams.” Nope. See above. Consider also what the Lord says: “Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream. But let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully.” (Jeremiah 23:28)
Other suggestions? Follow your passion? Follow your vision? Follow your dreams? Follow your leader? Follow your crowd? Follow the latest and greatest influencers on social media? No, nope, nada, negative, no way, absolutely not!
Follow what, then? There are clues, more than that, answers to be found in or near the Scriptures referenced above. “Let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully.” (Jeremiah 23:28b) “This is what the Lord says. Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh, and who turns his heart away from the Lord. But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by water.” (Jeremiah 17:5,7,8a)
And there is the one who speaks the Word, the Word made flesh, the Word of God himself: Jesus our Savior. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27,28)
Whatever awaits in 2025, Jesus will be there: speaking, holding, caring, directing, protecting, saving. Let’s follow our Savior/Shepherd/Lord. Let’s listen to the utter clarity and absolute power of his voice where he has promised to be found – not in our traitorous, befuddled hearts and minds – but in the Means of Grace: the preached and written Word, the water and remembrance of Holy Baptism, and swaddled in the bread and wine of his Holy Supper.
A Blessed New Year to you and yours!
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
RSS Feed
