Walking in a Worthy Manner

"so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God 

who calls you into His own kingdom and glory."

1 Thessalonians 2:12

God calls us into His kingdom. Jesus said none can come to Him unless the Father draws them (John 6:44). The Father draws us and softens our hearts to respond to Him. What an honor it is to be a part of His kingdom now and to have life with Him in glory to look forward to. Paul exhorted the Thessalonians (and us) to walk in a way that is worthy of God. But even the ability to walk in a worthy manner is possible only by the grace of the God who calls us.  "God will help us when we cannot walk, and He will help us when we find it hard to walk, but He cannot help us if we will not walk." (George MacDonald)

He Holds Your Hand

"The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand." 

Psalm 37:23-24

Sometimes the path of our life is filled with obstructions that threaten our stability, sometimes causing us to stumble. But always, the Lord keeps us from falling flat on our faces. His steady hand holds us fast. His word reminds us that not one of those obstacles is a surprise to Him. Before we were born He had established the steps we would take and had seen each hardship we would encounter. He delights in the way we are going because He planned it long ago and He knows the reward that waits for us at the end of our walk. If you are treading a bumpy path today, remember that you are not walking alone. The Lord is walking with you and He is intimately familiar with the trail. Your hand is in His hand and He will lead you safely home. 

Power Walk

"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude."

Colossians 2:6

During a morning walk, my husband and I came across this tree with enormous roots. It reminded me of Paul's letter to the Colossians.   Our Christian walk begins when we receive Christ as Savior. But it doesn't stop there.  We need to be discipled so that our faith is firmly rooted.  Studying scripture, prayer, and fellowship with other Christians builds us up and establishes us in our faith. All this leads to a deeper relationship with Christ and we come to trust Him with all aspects of our life.  The more we trust, the more we realize His trustworthiness, and the more our gratitude overflows. When we walk in Christ, it's a power walk.

God's Footsteps

"They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day,"

Genesis 3:8 

There was a time when the Lord walked in the Garden He had created for man and woman.  Since Adam and Eve recognized the sound of his footsteps, we know they were intimately familiar with Him. Imagine what it must have been like to meet the Creator face-to-face in a perfect, natural setting. The temperature would have been ideal every day. No weeds or pests with which to bother. No lack of moisture. Absolute beauty everywhere you look. And to top it all off, sweet fellowship with God Almighty. What a shame that sin had to enter in and spoil it all. Some day this imperfect earth will pass away, and God will create a new earth and sky (2 Peter 3:12-13). It is a wonderful promise from the Lord that we look forward to. But it would be unfortunate to be so focused on what is to come that we neglect what we now have. God is with us. He walks with us in our garden and in the grocery store. He sits with us on the deck and at the cafe, on the mountainside and at our desk. Everywhere we go, God goes with us. Do you hear His footsteps?