Be Yourself Not Your Hero Even If YOU Are Your Hero...Especially Then

Common Sense Commentary:

In 1929, at Stalin's fiftieth birthday celebration, near Christmas, an adoring, famous Russian writer, Leonid Leonov, expressed the sentiment of millions of Communists.   He wrote that, "The day will come when all mankind will revere Joseph Stalin and history will recognize him as the starting point of time, not Jesus Christ." As we know, it is now 2011 A.D.( Anno Domini ) or "Year of our Lord", and not 132 ADSB or 132 After Dictator Stalin's Birth.

 In April of 1949, after Mao Zedong's rag tag army of communists drove Chiang Kai-Shek's government off the Chinese mainland to Taiwan, Mao declared himself the Emperor of all China ... still now, a Communist nation but wearing a mask of democracy.  Joseph Stalin quickly became the first to announce recognition of "Communist China" with accolades to Mao.  Neither liked nor trusted the other but when Stalin's emissary, General Ivan Kovaku notified Mao of Russia's recognition, Mao shouted his appreciation, "Long live Comrade Stalin, Long Live Stalin, Long Live Stalin."  Even though Mao hated Stalin for his self worship, he began to pattern himself and China after Stalin's self glorification and cult worship which Stalin had cultivated around himself in the Soviet Union and among Communists all over the world. They literally made themselves little "gods"
with huge egos, billbroards, and propaganda machines.

In my years of ministry I have seen many young preachers mimic the worst traits of seemingly successful preachers they admired ... a tick in the neck, a way of walking, mounting the pulpit, or  unique  sermon delivery.  But, most often, they take on the worst traits not the best.  A young preacher once came to me wanting support to start a church in our town.  I asked him to tell me about himself and what he planed to do.  He said, "I'm God called and don't have no time for schooling.  I'm studying Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell for how to do it and I plan to do  exactly what they have done but much bigger."  I offered him a job mowing the grass but he said he didn't need work, he needed money.   If he had said, "I've been studying God's Word every night after work for a year but have a family and can't afford to go to Bible School.  I plan to start a church across town and build it in exactly the way Jesus told his disciples and as they did it in the book of Acts"... I would have offered to help him.

These examples of "self-worship" and "hero-worship" are no less common today as pertains to men of "wealth, power, or fame".  We have all seen it in some sports fans (fanatics) and with some athletes who, themselves,  have no doubt they are the greatest who ever lived and say so.  You have also seen it in those who worship wealth and the wealthy by mimicking their hero and often out-Caesar Caesar by spending themselves into oblivion trying to "look" the part.  The same is true with many followers of Power. Often it doesn't matter what their hero's character or morals or politics ...just his power.  They attach themselves to the power like a blood-thirsty leach and obey his every command, and suggestion.  Witness Chouchesque, the sadistic Communist Dictator of Romania who became more cruel than his master Stalin, if that is possible.  His crueltly  made the people bow and scrape and worship him until the first day they saw weakness in his government. Then they rushed as one great mass to get their hands on him and hang him in the street.  That was the day he stopped worshiping himself and Stalin and woke up in hell trying to politic a truce with the devil.  Never been there, but I'll bet it didn't work.

Better known to us today is North Korea's Kim Il Sung, a tin horn dictator if there ever was one.  This pip-squeak, followed  by his progeny and cruel likeness, maintained one of the largest military powers in the world in his starving little, half-a-country where their main highways are one-lane gravel roads.  When we Marines shipped out of North Korea in Dec. 1950, we were followed by a 75 mile long parade of 100,000 of Kim's followers who were sick of worshiping "His Wickedness" and wanted nothing more than freedom from slavery by him whom they hated.  We loaded every last one of them on board our ships and took them to South Korea standing up on deck all the way.   I remember them as terribly skinny, starving, freezing (25 to 30 degrees below 0), many shoeless and very happy to get out.

All such ruthless, self worshiping, deluded little god-men don't know it but they are simply minute imitations of Lucifer, who wanted to be his OWN god too.   These closed circuit, little, insecure men and (fewer women) grasp for power and the money that buys it and hunger for recognition and total loyalty from their worshipers or else.  It happens in Politics, Athletics, Hollywood, Wealth and, yes, in the ministry too.  Even among those who are called, Men of God, we often see self-worship and Preacher worship. Even then, both the self-worshiper and preacher worshiper take on , not the best, if any, but the worst of their hero's characteristics.... vanity, haughtiness, greed, lust for power, and money.

Let us, as Christians, walk in the steps of Jesus and follow his example of faithfulness and humility... not Lucifer or the preacher or any man or woman.   And, be your own unique self, as your Creator intended you to be.  Cultivate the you God had in mind and only follow those who clearly follow Jesus.  Never forget that no leader is always right.   In fact, Power, Fame and Wealth seldom lead a person to greater integrity or a closer relationship with Jesus ... or even to reality and truth.  It usually leads in the other direction.  "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these (other) things shall be added unto you." MATT.6:33.

Pass it on. RB