Skip to main content

How Do We Walk?

Is it in carrying a flag or a banner?  Words on a hat or t-shirt or bumper sticker?  Displaying a tattoo?  Jewelry hanging around your neck?  Huh?

In a previous post, I referenced a verse that indicates that we usually walk in the name of our god or in the name of the Lord our God (Micah 4:5).  So is incorporating any of the above an indicator that you are walking in the name of your god or the Lord God?

Those external things could be indicators but they really don’t get to the root of what is going on. While I could try to analyze what it might mean to be committed to a god to the extent that a person walks in that god’s name, I want to focus on what it means to walk in the name of the Lord our God.  And it really has little to do with any of the external indicators mentioned above. 

So what does it mean to walk in the name of the Lord our God?  The answer is simple and is contained in just two words.  But to even scratch the surface on those two words takes a lifetime.  We walk in the name of the Lord our God by walking before HimBut we’re not just talking taking steps physically; we’re talking how we live our lives before Him.  Some examples:

And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.  (1 Ki 3:6)

“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart;  (1 Ki 8:23)

See what I mean!  Those two simple words of walk before require faithfulness, righteousness, uprightness of heart and doing things wholeheartedly.  And none are done in a moment or by just coasting along!

But take heart, even if you didn’t start young, there’s still time.  Take a look at what God asked of Abraham:  When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless” (Gen 17:1).

Abram, who was renamed Abraham, lived to be 175.  You don’t have to do the math to get the picture.  But you do have to get going to walk before Him.  So get to it.  Start now.  It’s never too late.  Walk before Him and keep on walking!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Year Trash or Treasure?

You probably know the old saying:  “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.  I am not going to try to prove or disprove it, just look at it from a different angle. Cheryl and I were recently walking on a beach in Florida .  A man was walking along with a bag and was picking up trash and putting it in the bag.  Was he picking up things of value? We also saw a different man walking along the same beach with a metal detector.  He would swing it back and forth and would occasionally stop and dig in the sand.  Was he looking for things of value? Both were intent.  Both were focused.  Both were diligent. I’m guessing that the one picking up trash was not looking for things of value.  I’m also guessing that, by picking up trash, he was valuing the beauty of the beach and didn’t want the trash to mar it.  The one with the metal detector, I’m guessing that he was not looking for metallic items of trash but was looking for...

Don't Get Tripped Up

I do enjoy traveling and I keep an eye out for good prices. I also enjoy looking at trends in travel. For a while, the travel industry focused their advertising on taking those trips that might be on your bucket list.   That faded a bit and I started seeing ads about taking the trip of a lifetime. I guess both those campaigns have been waning since I’ve been seeing information about taking an “epic” trip.   Recently I noticed the phrase “unforgettable trip” in advertising.   More recently, I’ve been seeing promotions about taking “sustainable” trips and even “reconnecting to our roots” trips. As I’ve been pondering these advertising campaigns, I thought I’d consider what their ideas encompass and then look at them from a spiritual perspective: 1.   “ Bucket list trips ” are based on a list of the experiences a person might hope to have before they “kick the bucket” (i.e. die).   While I can certainly come up with a bucket list of trips, I’m thinking a bu...

Above My Pay Grade!

We like things that we can study, know and understand.  Sometimes we find it difficult to accept that there are things that might be hidden from our knowledge and understanding. The Scriptures indicate that there are some things hidden by design:  “The Lord our God keeps certain things hidden. But he makes other things known to us and to our children forever. He does it so we can obey all the words of this law.”  (Deut 29:29) Some versions of the Bible translate the hidden things as “secret things”.  Regardless, there are things which have been revealed and things which are kept hidden from us and remain secret. We may chafe at having to deal with the fact that some things remain hidden, but that’s often when faith and trust come in.  The Psalmist wrote:   “O Lord , my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.”  (Ps 131:1) The Psalmist seem to realize that th...