Walking

I recently saw a staircase upon which the homeowners had painted phrases on the risers. Today as I was walking up my own stairs I began to wonder what the Bible says about walking. I got out my concordance and learned quite a few things about how God wants us to walk.

He wants us to walk blamelessly before him and furthermore to have a blameless heart. He wants us to keep his decrees, to walk in his truth, to walk in the way of righteousness and of understanding. He also wants us to walk humbly and uprightly in the good way – the ways he commands, not in pride but in obedience. He also is able to humble those who walk in pride. He wants us to walk in his light.

After pondering this I’m reminded of a meeting I had years ago with Rev. William Worman. It was right after I committed my life to Christ. I had begun to read my Bible and found the impossible standards it sets for upright behavior. It seemed I couldn’t read one page without stumbling across some command I was personally breaking. I came to Bill and expressed my dismay about how I simply couldn’t possibly keep all of God’s demands on me. I will never forget his response.

He slapped his knee and said “Praise God you’ve got it!” I sat there with a befuddled look on my face and he said, “Jill, that’s the Gospel – if you could have measured up to God’s standards Jesus would not have had to come to pay the price for your sin.” 

The blinders came off my eyes and I saw the depths of God’s love for me. A weight lifted off my shoulders. Perhaps that is why 1 John 1:9 is one of my favorite Scriptures. “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  I knew unrighteousness then I found his forgiveness. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”