WALK
“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself
also so to walk, even as he walked.” I
John 2:6
This
word, walk, occurs 212 times in the KJV Bible.
It is most often used in two ways – man walking with God or before God
and God walking with man. We see a
passing of life. Many are mentioned that walked with God. One stands out – “Enoch walked with God: and
he was not; for God took him.” This man
knew how to conduct himself. He has an
extraordinary relationship with the Creator and an extraordinary exit from this
world.
As
we look at this verse in I John we see the exhortation for us to walk according
to the example of our Lord. If we claim
to be his, our walk should prove it. The
definition means to conduct one’s self or to pass one’s life in a certain
manner. It is a matter of walking
according to His Word. Obedience is a
proof of salvation. Our obedience,
according to I John 2:5, shows our salvation and matures our love. “But
whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know
we that we are in him.”
Matthew
Henry writes: “To keep the word of God,
or of Christ, is sacredly to attend thereto in all the conduct and motion of
life….We know that we belong to him, and that we are united to him by that
Spirit which assists us to this obedience; and if we acknowledge our relation
to him, and our union with him, it must have this continued enforcement upon
us…Those who profess to be on his side, and to abide in him, must walk with
him, walk after his pattern and example.”
In
a sermon on this verse Spurgeon wrote: “We do many of us say that we are in Christ: let us
hear how obliged we are by this to walk even as he walked. Oh, Holy Spirit, let
us feel the weight of the sacred obligation!
As we look at this word,
it is my prayer that we would take time to truly consider how we are conducting
our lives. Time is passing – are we
imitating our Saviour? Are we developing
an extraordinary relationship with our Lord?
Are we walking according to His word – or are we hypocrites?
Are we walking according to His word – or are we hypocrites?
WALK
“…the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto
him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1
“…Noah was a just man and perfect
in his generation, and Noah walked with God.
Genesis 6:9
God’s
instruction to Abram, and the example of Noah, was to walk. It simply means to walk, come, or
proceed. Figuratively it has the idea of
the manner of life in which one lives and dies.
With
Abram we see God telling him to walk before him – to walk in a manner befitting
those whose life is under the watchful care of the Creator. We see that Noah walked with God and he is
described as just and perfect. He, too,
ordered his life and steps under the knowledge of the presence and judgment of
God.
Henry
and Richard Blackaby, in their devotional Experiencing God Day by Day, brought
out a great thought concerning walking with God. Take time to think carefully as you read this
quote and ask yourself the questions posed.
“No
matter how ungodly the environment you may be in, God will always find you and
walk with you. Noah lived in perhaps the
most wicked age in history…How oppressive such an environment would have been
to a righteous person….Nevertheless, Noah was not lost to God in the crowd of
sinners. God noticed every act of Noah’s
righteousness…Are you constantly surrounded by evil? Do you struggle at times to live a righteous
life when those you associate with each day have no concern for God? Find assurance in the life of Noah. God watches you, even as He observed Noah,
God will seek you out of the crowd every time, and He wants to bless you and
your family just as He blessed Noah.”
So
how’s your walk?
WALK
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them.” Ephesians 2:10
A
lovely saint named Nina Burnett once said that this verse is sadly too often
overlooked. She was referring to the
fact that many people know Ephesians 2:8 & 9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: Not of works, lest
any man should boast.”, but they stop there. If you link the two thoughts together you get
a much larger picture. Verses 8 & 9
have to do with salvation being the work of God in our lives. Verse 10 confirms that with salvation
completed God has a purpose for our lives – a work for us to do. With the gift of this newly created life we
are to be using it for good. That is our
God-ordained purpose.
“…that
we should walk in them” means we should make our way, progress, and/or make due
use of opportunities. It reminds me of
the verse in Galatians 6:10 – “As we have
therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who
are of the household of faith.”
Good
works should exemplify our new life. The
Life of Christ is our example. He went
about doing good. He was kind – even to
those who did not deserve kindness. He
was patient – even with those who lacked faith.
He was accepting and forgiving – even to those who were deep in sin. He was appreciative towards those who showed
him care. He was thoughtful and
considerate. He reached out to the
needy. He did not reject those with
diseases and malformations. He rejoiced
with those that rejoiced and wept with those who wept. He is our example.
So,
once again – how’s your walk? Is it
exemplified by good works toward others?
Or closed and self-centered?
WALK
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are
called...” Ephesians 4:1
Of
all the Scriptures that have challenged me through life this has to be one that
stands out. As I think of walking worthy
it creates a standard and a goal. The
idea of the definition is to regulate one’s life.
If
I am walking worthy I am:
1. Conducting myself according
to God’s Word.
2. Recognizing my place as a
Child of God – an heir to an eternal kingdom.
3. Walking upright – both in
stature and in demeanor.
4. Making choices that will
honour my Lord.
5. Fulfilling my
ministry/vocation thoroughly and with conscientiousness.
6. Upholding the Name of the
Lord in all areas of my life.
The
goal is twofold – 1) To bring praise to His name alone. & 2) to hear that
“well done thou good and faithful servant.”
To
reach the standard and the goal requires that I regulate my life. I cannot be haphazard about my faithfulness
and service. I cannot run hot and cold
in my relationship with my Saviour. I
cannot do things that would bring the ministry or my Lord’s name into
disrepute.
I
think that is why Paul uses the word beseech.
He wants to impress upon the readers the necessity and passion required
as servants of the Lord. He lives with
such regulation and it has brought him to prison. He knows the cost of a worthy walk, but it is
not too high for him to pay. He
beseeches them to not lower their standard, but to walk rightly – to walk
worthy.
Are
you?
WALK
“This I say then, Walk in the
Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh….If we live in the
Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:16 & 25
The
image of walking in the Spirit seems to be different things to different people
these days. Some think it means some
sort of spiritual hysteria. Some think
is it a super-pious existence. But the
meaning is simply – live. Live in the
Spirit. If we will live in the Spirit we will have victory over the flesh.
So
what in entailed in walking in the Spirit?
It is to live and act under the guidance and influence of the
Spirit. This is the Spirit that will
guide us into truth and bring the Word of God to our heart and mind as we face
decisions and temptations. This is the
Spirit that will comfort us and join with us in prayer. This is the Spirit that brings both
conviction and confirmation to our souls.
We
need not wonder about how this walk would appear. Just a reading of Galatians 5:13-26 gives us
an adequate representation of the walk in the Spirit and the deeds of the
flesh. They are diametrically opposed.
Galatians
5:25 uses both the word live and walk.
The definitions give more clarity.
To walk in this verse means to proceed in a row as the march of a
soldier, to go in order. To live means
to breathe, to enjoy real life, to be actively blessed, to have vigor and
power.
So
it could read – If we draw life, vigor and power from the Spirit, then we
should stay in that order. The fruit of
the Spirit should be evident in our walk and the works of the flesh have no
place.
Where
are you walking? You can’t walk both
places – they are direct opposites.
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