Who Should Christians Follow

Once again I have been faced with the question of modern idolatry in the form of dedication to a man. This has become so common, more than any other sin, this one has overtaken our society by storm. God said that we are not to "say you are of Paul or Apollos." 1 Corinthians 1:12 If we are completely dedicated to Christ then we could never say "I follow the teachings of ......." pertaining to a man. If we quote a man's writing more than the teachings of Christ or find ourselves unable to express our Christianity solely in terms of Christ and Him alone, then we have an idol. Christ was very clear that He wanted us to see only Him. I am reminded of the days when our children were growing up and I was attempting to instruct them, and their eyes were wandering all around the room, distracted by the other people in the house. I had to continually admonish them to "look at me while I am talking to you." As their eyes and hearts were diverted to other people and things, I had to be vigilant about bringing their attention back to me. I knew that if I allowed them to be distracted, they would not carry out my wishes or learn any important lessons. This is how we, as stubborn children, are with God. He is continually nudging us to come back to focus on Him and only Him. As long as we will not let go of our human idols, we cannot progress any further. The challenge today is to practice for one week resolving not to mention the name of any man in reference to Biblical principles. Could we go through an entire week, only speaking of Christ and His principles without mentioning a man's name in conjunction with our study? What a novel idea!