The Christian's Walk In '68
The word walk occurs many times in the Bible and is descriptive of one's living. When the scriptures refer to the walk of a Christian, reference is made to the way one lives. It means to step rightly. I want us to take a look at a number of Bible rules which must guide the walk of a Christian.
1. WALK IN TRUTH. David's charge to his son Solomon is a principle Christian's need to learn. "If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and all their souls there shall not fail thee a man on the throne of Israel" (I Kings 2:4). God has always demanded that his people walk in truth. John said, "For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (III Jno. 4). To walk in truth is to walk according to the word, for the word is truth (Jno. 17:17).
2. WALK BY FAITH. Many Old Testament heroes are recorded in the New Testament (Heb. 11) because they walked by faith. Man cannot please God without faith, (Heb. 11:6) and the Christian must walk by faith. Paul said, "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (II Cor. 5:7). To walk by faith, is to do things for which we can see no reason, but because God said to do it.
3. WALK IN THE OLD PATHS. The principle for which Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, pleaded is one which Christians need to heed today. He said, "Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the paths where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." (Jer. 6:16). But they like so many today, said, "We will not walk therein" (Jer. 6:17). Too many want to modernize God's way but it will just not work!
4. WALK IN THE LIGHT. John said, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (I John 1:7). To walk in the light is to walk as the word directs, for the light is "a light unto my path" (Ps. 119:105).
5. WALK IN CHRIST. After a person has been `baptized into Jesus Christ' (Gal. 3:27) he must then walk in Christ. Paul told the members at Colosse, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him" (Col. 2:6). Too many church members are content to just be baptized into Christ and then fail to walk in him. Walking in Christ is just as vital as being baptized into him.
6. WALK UPRIGHTLY. God expects his people to walk uprightly. The Psalmist ask, "Lord, Who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy Holy Hill?" Then he answered, "He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart" (Psa. 15:1-2). Solomon said that God is a 'buckler to them that walk uprightly" (Prov. 2:7). Let's strive to walk uprightly in '68.
7. WALK WITH GOD. There are two men in the Old Testament I'd like to call to your attention who walked with God. "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:9). Noah was said to have walked with God because his faith led him to obey God. (Gen. 6:22, Heb. 11:7) "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him: (Gen. 5:24). He was a man who pleased his God.(Heb. 11:5) When we through faith, believe and obey God, we can please him and we too can walk with Him.
8. WALK IN GOOD WORKS. A lot of people misunderstand who is to do good works but the Bible teaches that every individual Christian is to walk in good works. Paul said, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). The Christian is to do good when he has the opportunity. (Gal. 6:10) One reason for walking in good works is that others may see our light shining and as a result, glorify God. (Matt. 5:16)
9. WALK IN THE SPIRIT. Paul told the Galatians, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25). Christians must be led by the Spirit, (Gal. 5:18) and this is done as we follow the directions of the Spirit as laid down in the Word of God. When one fails to obey the Word, he is failing to walk in the Spirit.
10. WALK WORTHY OF OUR VOCATION: Paul admonished the Ephesians, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Eph. 4:1). Being a Christian is a vocation and one must walk worthy of it.
11. WALK LIKE CHRIST WALKED. Peter said that Christ left us an example that we should follow his steps. (I Pet. 2:21) John said, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked" (I John 2:6). To walk like Christ walked, is to act like He acted.
12. WALK IN THE NEWNESS OF LIFE. After one has heard, believed and been baptized, he then must rise to walk in the newness of life as we learn from Paul's teaching to the Romans. "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4). A Christian is a new creature in Christ (II Cor. 5:17).
The results of such walking can mean much to a Christian. If we will walk as God desires that we walk here on this earth, we someday can walk with him in white. As we read the letter written to the church at Sardis, we can learn the results of such walking. "Thou host a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy" (Rev. 3:4).
13. WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD. Paul told the Colossians, "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10). Paul expressed the same thought to the Thessalonians. "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory" (I Thess. 2:12). To walk worthy of the Lord and God is to walk in a manner which corresponds to the high standard set by God, respecting what the Lord has done for us.
14. WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY. Paul admonished the Ephesians, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:15-16). To walk circumspectly is to walk carefully, being cautious and attentive. A Christian must walk strictly according to the word, using his time wisely.
15. WALK IN WISDOM. "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time" (Col. 4:5). Christians must constantly remember that outsiders are watching the walk of God's people. Someone has well said that outsiders 'watch our walk more than our talk, and measure our talk by our walk.' So, Christians must walk wisely.
16. WALK HONESTLY. "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying" (Rom. 13:13). A Christian must be honest and practice such in his daily walk. Paul also admonished the people in Thessalonica to "walk honestly toward them that are without and that ye may have lack of nothing" (I Thess. 4:12). Honesty is still the best policy!
17. WALK IN LOVE. An essential characteristic of the Christian's walk is to walk in love. Paul told the Ephesians, "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour" (Eph. 5:1-2). One of the things which is lacking in the walk of so many of my brethren is love one for another. During the last few years while there has been so many things slipping into the Lord's church which are not authorized by the word of God, brethren have been alienated because they fail to walk in love.
18. Walk After His Commandments.
"And this is love, that we walk after his commandments" (II Jno. 6). To walk after God's commands is to seek after and obey his will. This all Christians must do.
Look over your life and see if you need to make some changes in your walking.
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