Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Week Thirty-Seven - Who Can Walk with God?

Beside the Well

One of my favorite things to do is walk around my block while talking to God. With the sun shining and the breeze blowing against my face, I look up into His creation and know His presence. We talk through lots of stuff!
While reading Isaiah the other day, I came across a question that made me think again about my prayer walks, “Who can walk with God?” Isaiah answered this question in three ways: what we should do, what we should avoid, and what we can expect to receive.  
Isaiah 33:15-17, 34:16 “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from evil. He shall dwell on high! His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.  Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off…seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail.”
What should we do?  Walk and talk righteously and uprightly.  We don’t use those words in everyday speech, so let’s give them an updated definition. Walk obediently (according to God’s word) and talk straight, fair, and honest.
Okay. That sounds easy enough.  So what should we avoid?  1) Perverse speech and actions (the opposite of walking righteously and uprightly) 2) Ill-gotten gains (gambling and get-rich-quick schemes) 3) Bribery (dishonest business dealings) 4) Hearing of murder and violence (this is all around us, on the news, on social media, in the video games we all play) 5) Looking at evil (pornography and explicit material in any form, be it in magazines, on the Internet, or through our phones, TV screens, and movies, and anything ungodly or satanic).
That got much harder, didn’t it?  It sounds easy to say walk and talk right, but when the definition starts to get more pointed, it makes for uncomfortable reading.  We might even take offense or begin to argue.  What’s wrong with a little game of bingo with friends?  So what if I don’t turn everything in on my taxes? Surely, God isn’t bothered about us watching TV; it is only pretending.   There can’t be that much harm in a bang-bang shoot’em up video game can there? 
I’ll leave you to ponder those thoughts between you and God.  Let’s move on to what we can expect to receive when we walk with God.  1) We will live on a higher plain (our life will be enriched).  2) We will have God’s protection.  3) We can be assured of continual sustenance.  4) and refreshing abundance. 5) We will see God in our life  (Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”).6) We will live with heaven in view (a life of hope and expectation).
Do you see the last admonition in the verses above?  READ!  Look into God’s word for yourself and find the counsel you need.  If you want to walk along with Him, you need to know what He expects!  
Can you walk with God?

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