Walk this way
I love going for a walk. Fortunately I live a short distance from a nature area where I can see the fish jumping, the birds soaring, keep my eyes open for gators and snakes, and an assortment of wildlife here and there.
An early morning favorite is a bridge that starts at street level and goes up high above the water then descends once again. The river is peaceful, not much traffic, an occasional rower can be seen in the distance. Health experts are always touting the benefits of getting out and walking.
There’s a lot said about walking in the Bible too. Not so much the physical activity, more the lifestyle. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to WALK humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NIV, uppercase mine)
When God talks about walking, He’s telling us how to live our lives. Three lifestyle habits: acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly – can you even imagine how different our world would be?
How different you and I would be? Sometimes I don’t want to act justly – what does that mean anyway? One definition is to be impartial and fair. Oooh, that’s a toughie sometimes. We certainly want to be treated that way, but don’t always want to dish it out.
Then there’s loving mercy. Do we? I want to say ‘of course’. But where are our hearts when the worst happens to us or a loved one. How much do we love mercy then?
Walk humbly – believe it or not, this may be the hardest of all. Just when we think we are not proud – we find we are proud of not being proud! Oh boy, humble is a life-long learning. Too often I find myself learning it by being taken down a notch or two and it usually stings a bit.
Not enough room here to really get into all three of these. But it’s a good starting point: to know what God requires. He has not left us here to wander aimlessly never knowing how to please Him. He’s provided the written Word, He sent His Son, Jesus died for us, and now the Holy Spirit is right in us always ready to show us the way. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ ” (Isaiah 30:21 NIV)
parisrenae 