Walking
with
GOD

Walk in
the Way of Holiness

A highway shall be there, and a road,
and it shall be called
the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean shall not
pass over it,
but it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road,
although a fool,
shall not go astray.
(Isaiah 35:8)

Several years ago, while a student in seminary, I had just finished preaching at the evening service in a small, Mississippi church, and I and my family were driving back to our apartment in Memphis,Tennessee along a lonely, dark, two-lane highway. Suddenly, as we rounded a curve, we came upon flashing lights from several police cruisers. There had been a major accident that had caused the highway to be closed and forcing us to take a detour.

I’ve never been fond of detours, but this particular detour took us off into the great unknown as we traversed over many miles of dark, winding, country roads (I don’t think they were all paved). Left turn. Right turn. Then more lefts and rights as we carefully zigzagged our way for well over an hour hoping we had not missed a sign somewhere along the way.

Finally! We were back to familiar territory! We had wound our way across the backcountry and came once again to the highway we had so often traveled to our home. No more curves. No more twist and turns. Just a straight shot home. And best of all, no uncertainty as to where we were going.

God has a highway that leads directly home to heaven. God’s highway goes by the name, Highway of Holiness. Those who have put on Christ and have begun the journey of following Him, see the straight path that has been laid out before them. All we have to do is keep our eyes firmly fixed on the One who goes before us, leading the way.

Sometimes however, we shift our focus, surrender to temptations, and fail to follow Jesus in the Way. We step off the highway of Holiness, detouring onto another path. This different pathway is shrouded in darkness for it goes by the name of, "The Way of Deceit and Deception." This pathway is full of twists and turns and there is no one out front leading the way. Not sure where we are headed, all we can do is hope we are not eternally lost. And what we want most desperately is to find our way back to the way we know we should go.

Confession and Repentance are the signposts we are looking for. Following them will return us to God’s Highway of Holiness.

The question we each must ask is, "On which road am I now traveling?" You already know the answer. Question is, are you satisfied that the path you are now following will lead you home to heaven?

Walking
with
GOD

Walk in the Light

But if we walk in the light
as He is in the light,
we have fellowship
with one another,
and the blood of
Jesus Christ
His Son
cleanses us
from all sin.
(1 John 1:7)

There is an old song by the title, "Keep on the Sunny Side." It’s opening verse and chorus go like this:

There's a dark and a troubled side of life

there's a bright and a sunny side too

Though we meet with darkness and strife

the sunny side we also may view

Chorus:

So keep on the sunny side,

always on the sunny side

Keep on the sunny side of life

'cause it will help us every day

it will brighten up the way

if we keep on the sunny side of life

Two paths stretch-out before us: one is veiled in shadow and darkness, the other is illuminated by the light of the sun. One path, the way of darkness, is where we find danger and evil and all manner of dastardly deeds. The other pathway is open, clear, and worry-free. On one we are prone to stumble and fall, while on the other we can safely move ahead with ease. Which path we take is ours to choose, but in making a choice, we also determine who will be our companions along the way.

Those who choose to follow the dark path of life will fall into evil company and become cohorts in evil, sinful pursuits. Those that walk along the dark path can never rest, for they know their evil companions are just as likely to do harm to them as to anyone else they may meet.

Those who choose to follow the lighted path will travel with others that seek the light and their journey will be one of joy.

As Christians, we join with others making the journey of faith by following the light that is found in Christ, the Son.

Walking
with
GOD

Walk
Worthy of the Calling

I, therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you
to walk
worthy of the calling
with which
you were called
(Ephesians 4:1)

On several occasions when our children were young, we would all gather in a circle facing inward and I would ask all of us to repeat: "Our name is (insert family name) and not Everybody." I would explain to our children that someday, when they were older, they would want to do something which would not only be harmful to them, but would also bring disgrace upon the family name. I suggested that they might be tempted to offer as an excuse as to why they should be able to pursue such a thing by saying; "Everybody is doing it."

It would be then that I would remind them of the silly game we played when they were young: "Our name is (insert family name) and not Everybody." Everyone may well be doing it, but that is not who we are and not how we behave.

That same attitude ought to belong to followers of Christ. When we became followers of Jesus, when we put on Christ in baptism, and when we were adopted into God’s family, we took on a new name: Christian. Our name is not Everybody.

As Christians, we are called to walk differently than those who still follow the pattern of the world. Our way of walking does not make us better than others, merely different, for the goodness and righteousness we have is a gift that we received from the Lord and not from ourselves. But there is a difference.

As Christians we are called to live our life according to the highest moral and ethical standards. We are to be honest and truthful in all our behavior. We are to live such a way as to bring honor on the name we wear.

When people observe our lives they ought to be able to say; "There’s a Christian."

Walking
with
GOD

Walk by Faith

For we walk by faith,
not by sight.
(2 Corinthians 5:7)

I don’t know about you, but I like to see where I am going. I am not much for taking blind leaps off cliffs. If hiking, I like a well-marked trail to follow. I also like to know what lies around the bend and what lies just over the crest of the hill before I begin to venture forth. I probably would not have made a very good pioneer

Think of those early pioneers in our country’s history. They left the known comforts of the eastern seaboard and ventured out into the unknown west. Not knowing beforehand what obstacles and trials lay ahead, they simply pushed forward with the faith that they would find a better land. They walked by faith, not by sight.

But one thing those early pioneers had was a guide; someone who had explored the frontier and had already mapped out a path by which to lead them. The trail-guide knew where the mountain passes were and where rivers could be safely forded. Those early pioneers came to trust in their guide and knew that he would lead them safely to their destination so long as they did not veer off the path, or lag too far behind. No matter how long the wagon-train each kept their eye firmly fixed on the trail-guide leading the way.

Our walk of faith is not much different than was the journey of those early pioneers. We too are called to leave the known comforts of our existence and push-out on the trail to a new land – heaven. Most of the journey is shrouded in a cloud of mystery. If we knew all the obstacles, hardships, and trials that we would encounter along the way, many of us would never begin the journey. Fear would immobilize us.

What gets us moving is the call of the Trail-guide, Jesus, who calls us to "Come, follow me." And so, we pick up our cross and follow. Tentatively at first, but as we continue on the journey, despite not having a clear vision of what lies ahead, we begin to trust our Guide more and more. Then, eventually, it happens. We no longer need sight, for we are now completely trusting and following in faith.

We also know that so long as we do not veer off the course, or lag too far behind our Guide, and so long as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, He will lead us safely to our destination – our home in heaven.