Between the Lines

In the previous articles we talked about what our spiritual shoes look like and walking with God and Christ in the kingdom.  Now let’s take a look at how we are to walk in those shoes.

NOT THAT WAY!

Have you ever been lost?  When I was a child, every summer we would go to Six Flags over Texas in Arlington.  We would stay until the park closed.  One year we were on Skull Island when the park closed.  The lights went out and we could not find our way off the island.  We did not have a map or a guide.  We thought we were walking the right way to get off, but we weren’t.  We needed a guide (worker) to come and help us find the way out.

Life is like that!   Without a guide and a map we would be lost in the darkness of this world.  Jesus is our guide and the Bible is our map.  When we follow Him and the map we will have no problem navigating this dark world.

The Bible is full of warnings about the “path of the wicked”.  “Do not walk in the way with them (the wicked), keep your foot from their path” (Proverbs 1:15).  “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil” (Proverbs 4:14).  Isaiah wrote that Israel “walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts” (Isaiah 65:2-3) and they were condemned for it.

How do we keep from walking in the wrong way?  Hold the hand of HIm who knows the way and walk in His steps.  Jesus knows the dangers ahead and can lead us safely through anything life may throw at us. Walk with those who are walking with Him, NOT those who are going their own way.

THIS WAY!

Zealously – eagerness – with Passion

What are you passionate about?  Your family, house, car, shoes? Life is very dull without passion and so will be your Christian walk.  When we have passion for God it makes this Christian walk more enjoyable and easier to walk.  Zeal and passion will sustain us.

THIS is Zeal –  “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, with ALL your strength, and with ALL your mind” (Luke 10:27).  (In your Bible hi-lite the word ALL in this verse).   Can you hear the zeal in the words of Jesus?

What is the church at Laodicea infamous for?  Being lukewarm.  To encourage and chasten them, Jesus says, “be zealous and repent” (Rev 3:15-19)!  Zealousness is the opposite of lukewarmness.  “It is good to be zealous in a good thing always” (Galatians 4:18).

We are to walk (and fight) with zeal and passion.  Jude verse 3 tells us to “contend earnestly for the faith”, we are to fight with zeal! 

Carefully and with intent, deliberately

We can be zealous, but if it is without knowledge, then it is useless.  When Paul talked about his own people, Israel, he said, “they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2-3).

When we put together a recipe, what happens if you are not careful to follow the directions exactly?  When walking in our Christian shoes, we must do it carefully, following our guide and the map He has given us (our own Bible). 

In Ephesians 5:17-17 (NKJV) Paul tells the Ephesians to “walk circumspectly” (exactly, diligently and perfectly).  The NASV reads “be careful how you walk”.  This passage tells us to “redeem the time and understand what the will of the Lord is”.  How do we understand what the will of the Lord is?  Study His word!  So, we are to carefully walk, following in the steps of Jesus.

Confidently 

Watching a baby learn to walk can be very entertaining.  But the baby lacks confidence at first and needs a mother’s hand to steady him and help him gain confidence.  This is like our walk with our Heavenly Father.  Holding His hand we have the confidence to walk and not fear.

In Proverbs 3:23-26, the context is about getting wisdom and discretion.  Once we have those in our life we will walk securely, our feet will not stumble, we will not be afraid and our sleep will be sweet!  He gives us a command in this passage, “Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes”.  When we follow His commandments.

The shepherd had confidence in His shepherd!  He also wrote, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me... (Psalm 138:7).

Spiritually 

If you constantly snack on the “junk food” of the world (TV, Social Media, Gossip) you won’t be hungry for the good food God offers (Matthew 5:6). God and His Word should be more attractive to us than the wicked things of this world.  We live in this world, we have to function in this world, but we don’t have to partake of its ungodliness.  Paul writes in Romans 8:1 that we are not to “walk according to the flesh (the world), but according to the Spirit.”

Properly 

“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.” (Romand 13:13).  In the greek, the word properly means, “in a seemly manner, decently”.  Our spiritual shoes not only need to be on, but we must have them on properly.  When putting on shoes we may need to buckle, tie, or velcro them to keep them on.

Walking properly means we don’t get tangled up or trip in this world’s “glamour”.  All that glitters is not gold; Satan has a boatload of gold (fools gold).  This will fade and come to nothing.  Our world is so crude and disrespectful, let us make our part of is more lovely and proper. We must be set apart (holy) (Ephesians 1:4).

By Faith 

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7).  Walking with God takes faith that He will lead where we need to go and care for us when we stumble and fall.  Faith is not blindly accepting His will, but seeing the evidence of His love and  care throughout the scriptures, we can be confident and have faith in Him.

In the land of the living

When we are baptized we are not dead in our sins anymore, we are in the land of the living.  Romans 6:4 says that we should “walk in newness of life”.  “I will walk before the LORD In the land of the living.”  (Psalm 116:9).  Prepare yourself to walk in the land of the living by studying His Word, the living word that will lead us to Him (Hebrews 4:12).

Toward Others

When we walk, we need to show kindness to others.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:2 that we should “walk in love”.  Be careful that we are not stomping on others with our spiritual shoes.  Even though they may be walking in sin, we should treat them with love and kindness, showing the love of Christ.  Jesus said that this was a commandment, “that you love one another as I have loved you” John 15:12.

Be the light that this dark world needs (Matthew 5:14).  Glow for the world:  in your office, in  your home, in your congregation!  Light is attractive when it is dark, “walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).  John tells us that “if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…” (1 John 1:7).

We should walk in love and light but always with wisdom (Colossians 4:5).  When dealing with others we must speak the truth when needed but we shouldn’t say hurtful things, “just because it’s true”.

Worthy of the Lord

In Paul’s prayer for the Colossians (1:9-12), he wants them to know God’s will with wisdom and understanding.  Why?  So that they could walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him, being fruitful, and increasing in  knowledge.  So that they could be strengthened and qualified!