This weekend, a lot of people are talking about or complaining about the end of daylight saving time. Many Americans are complaining about having to adult. Most people tend to abuse the time change to indulge in late-night activities and neglect getting enough rest and sleep.
Studies show most people do not get enough sleep every day already, and adjusting a clock only enables people to further neglect getting sleep. Instead of being more health-conscious, people choose to abuse their freedoms; they neglect their health and then complain they don’t feel good.
Despite the many benefits of DST, many Americans oppose it because they don’t like the hassle of changing the time on the clocks twice a year, as America has done for over 100 years, for specific benefits:
- Reduced traffic accidents
- Lower crime rates
- Safer outdoor activities
- Increased consumer spending
While I do not understand the controversy over DST, I do understand the struggles that many people encounter because of it. Our brains and bodies are created to follow a normal pattern called the circadian rhythm.
This is a natural internal clock we all have, although it may be set differently. Honestly, it is part of God’s brilliant design for His greatest creation (Genesis 1:26, Ephesians 2:10). God is a God of order, not chaos, and He created mankind in His image to follow His ways (Job 33:4, Psalm 8:4-8, Ephesians 4:24).
What Is Follow
Following a pattern or path is something we all do every day, whether it’s sleeping, eating roads and paths we take. Follow is defined as, “To go or proceed, or to accept one’s authority: obey.”
What is interesting is that our circadian rhythm can be reprogrammed to follow a different pattern than what is natural to each of us. This means we can choose what we follow. God has given us free will, like Adam and Eve in the garden, to choose to follow good or bad ways and paths.
That is why the Bible has a lot to say about following (Proverbs 9:7-9, John 8:12). We live in a fallen kingdom that chooses to follow their evil hearts and selfish desires (Proverbs 28:26, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 1:24-25).
God called His people out of this fallen kingdom to follow and obey His ways (2: Corinthians 7:1, 1 Peter 2:9). The Bible warns us about following our evil hearts that lead us astray and following the national pattern of this fallen kingdom (Romans 12:1-21, 2 Corinthians 4-5; 17, Ephesians 2:2; 4:23-24, Colossians 3:2, James 4:4, 1 Peter 1:14, 1 John 2:15). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about not following the evil ways of this world.
Rāḏap̄
The Torah is clear that after mankind decided to listen to and follow Satan in the garden, their hearts became corrupt and led them and us astray (Genesis 3:6-17; 6:5). Mankind and all of creation began to follow their evil desires and moving away from God and His good purposes (Genesis 6:1-7).
The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for follow is rāḏap̄, and it can also mean “Pursue, persecute, chase, flight, or to follow after,” depending on the context it is used in.
Even after God set His people free from bondage and evil rulers of this world, they still chose to follow their evil hearts and the gods of this fallen world (Exodus 32:1-6). Not only did God give Israel the law, but He also raised shepherds and leaders to help them follow His ways:
- Moses
- Aaron
- Joshua
- Ehud
- Deborah
- Gideon
- Jephthah
- Samson
- David
- Solomon
When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He taught His disciples to turn from their evil hearts and ways to follow Him (Matthew 16:24). Our Lord warned us about following the ways of this fallen world (Luke 6:46; 13:3, John 17:14).
Our Lord Himself refused to follow the world’s ways and its selfish desires when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Our Rabbi taught His followers to follow the teachings of the Pharisees, but not to follow their ungodly ways that contradicted God’s ways and even their own teachings (Matthew 23:3).
Reformation Day
This Weekend, while the world was celebrating Halloween, many Christians were celebrating the 508th anniversary of the Reformation. The great reformer Martin Luther had many issues with the Catholic Church and its teachings.
Martin Luther disputed the church’s selling of indulgences and its emphasis on tradition rather than Scripture. He opposed the need to follow another fallen man in the form of the Pope, since all of God’s people are equal before God.
I worry that 508 years later, many in the church are more interested in following another fallen man who isn’t following God’s ways and has no interest in them other than political gain:
- Greedy
- Prideful
- Unforgiving
- Boastful
Dr. David Platt wisely wrote, “The call to follow Jesus is not simply an invitation to pray a prayer; it’s a summons to lose our lives.” Our Christian forefathers gave us a warning about following the wrong people in life (Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 5:11; 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14, 1 Timothy 3:1-16, 2 Thessalonians 3:6). God’s people are commanded to follow God and His ways, not those who refuse to rāḏap̄!
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