Walking Step by Step with Jesus

 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 
and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 
But sexual immorality and impurity of any kind or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. Eph 5:1–3 NRSVue

There are hidden jewels in scripture which can teach us so much wisdom. “Walking in love” is one of them. Life is a step by step experience. Prayer warriors have activated the power of God to change nations. 

Moses exercised an amazing gift of faith to release the miracle working power of God.

But the most powerful intercessors began their journey with a single step. They prayed short simple prayers.

Billy Graham preached to huge crowds but he started his journey with simple prayers and learning to understand simple bible truths.

The Apostle Paul literally walked from one place to another as he evangelised much of the Roman Empire. 
Jesus Himself preached to crowds but he often took time to minister to one person at a time. He also walked from place to place.

Walking in love is a life lived one step at a time, always motivated by the love of God and a sincere desire to bless others.

When I go shopping, I try to share a friendly word with the cashier in the supermarket. If you see someone who needs a little more money to pay, you can pay for that person yourself. 

Life is a journey but it consists of many small steps, many small tasks, many opportunities to help others.

But there is an unfortunate trap when we use this wonderful biblical word carelessly. Christians speak of their life as their Christian Walk. It becomes a religious expression without any meaning. 

I would rather people never used these words unless they are meaningful and used meaningfully.

Walking in love also teaches us to constantly look for ways of making small changes in our lives, constantly making small improvements as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

Many small positive changes make a huge difference. When you trust Jesus to forgive your sins, your faults don't suddenly disappear, but God helps you to learn and improve little by little.

If you are untidy, you can spend a few minutes each day cleaning up some messy clutter.

If you are not a good bible reader, read a little every day. God will help you to improve and read more.

But there are some faults which we cannot deal with little by little. If you steal from shops, you cannot please God but stealing a little less or less often. Just stop it.

The same applies to casual sex or drunk driving. Just stop it.

You have a Calling

 The bible tells us that following Jesus is like running a race but in another place God tells us to walk. No one can run all the time. The strongest runners run a set distance and then stop.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Cor 9:24 NIV

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 
and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph 5:1–2 NIV

There are times in life when we need to make an intense effort for a limited time. God calls some of us to fast and pray or to spend a whole night in prayer. An evangelist has to spend time in intense prayer and study before he preaches to a crowd. He may have to preach several nights in a row and pray for many seriously sick people after each sermon. 

But then he needs to take time out from time to time. Jesus Himself told his disciples to withdraw from the crowds and rest for a while to recover their strength. 

When Jesus ministered to crowds in Israel, he walked from town to town. When the Apostle Paul did mission work over a vast area, he also walked and prayed as he walked. 

When the bible tells us to run, we are meant to understand that there are times when we often need to make a concentrated effort for a limited time.

When the bible tells us to walk, we should understand that we need to keep steadily moving forward spiritually and in practical ways, day by day and hour by hour. 

Paul tells each one of us to live like a runner in the Olympic Games, but this raises a question. Only one runner can win the race, so how is it that each Christian can expect to win?

The answer is simple. Each man or woman has a unique calling. If you faithfully carry out the assignments that God has planned for your life, God considers you to be the winner of your individual race. You are not competing against other believers. 

Many Christians fail to reach their God given destiny because they try to compete with other believers. 

There are also very gifted evangelists who fail to reach their potential because they try to do the work of pastors or teachers instead of sticking to their calling to be evangelists. 

Is is also important to understand that there are different stages in life. Sometimes we need to make a concerted effort, like running a race. A good example is the hard work of a mother nursing her baby. She must be available around the clock and the effort is constant and very tiring.

I am now a man approaching my 77th birthday. I need to conserve my energy. At my age I need to walk and rest often and get plenty of sleep, but I can still use my gifts to write and encourage others.

We Need Time Off

 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mk 6:31 NIV

We are under so much pressure, so overwhelmed. That's just how it is in this life.

In the Old Testament, God prescribed many days of rest, but even holy days can put pressure on us.

A world-renowned church leader in the Pentecostal movement had founded a church that simply grew massively and planted a network of missions around the world.

But not everything in his life was okay. His wife was overwhelmed and his marriage fell apart. 

God spoke to the preacher. He needed to have one day of rest per week and rebuild his relationship with his wife. Sunday was not a day of rest for him, and on Saturday he had to prepare everything for Sunday. 

Monday became his day of rest, and his marriage was restored.

Some insist that we must strictly obey the Sabbath commandment to this day, but this is by no means clear in the Holy Scriptures.

Paul and John wrote several epistles to non-Jewish Christians, and I find no mention of the Sabbath commandment in them at all. Theft, murder, lying, idolatry, adultery, and greed are strictly forbidden in these epistles, but there is no mention of the Sabbath commandment. 

Of course, the Sabbath came from God, and the Sabbath remains a great blessing for many Jews and some Christians to this day.
 
But more important than the day is the principle. We need time off, time off for God, time off for family and friends, and time off for relaxation and rest.
 

You can strictly observe the Sabbath but neglect important loving relationships.

About ten years ago, I was very active in a church and attended two services every Sunday, but I had a guilty conscience. I was in church three times a week, but I didn't even visit my elderly father once a week. 

For many Christians, church services and meetings can be anything but restful, although they are intended to be refreshing. You can strictly observe the Sabbath, but never learn to simply relax. 

For some Christians, relaxation is a sin. They are always busy. Doing nothing would be idleness. Sleeping late means being lazy. 

But if you are overwhelmed, traumatised, even exhausted, you need real time off.
 
Otherwise, you could get burned out or even in hospital. Some people think this is shameful, but it is not.

If you need help and rest, you need help and rest.
But shouldn't we expect our help only from God?

Sure, but if our misguided Christian attitude has only continually entangled us in duty and effort, and if we find little support or understanding in the church, then God provides us with other means of help. 

There are Christians who are misled by non-believing therapists, but there are also Christians who find more understanding and help in psychiatry than in the church. 

Thank God for good churches, good pastors, and miraculous healings! 
But I also thank God for good doctors, and good therapists.
 
In God's order, everything has its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: Ecc 3:1 NIV