Walking with God

^"1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4: 1-6)

As a congregation we have been working through St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians.  One thing that we have been talking about and that I have been preaching about is from this verse above, that as disciples of Christ we are to walk with God.  The Greek word here is peripateo and like other words with the prefix "peri" (like perimeter, pericardium, periscope- you get the idea) it means to go around, in this case "go around walking with God." But Paul doesn't start that way, no, first he has to remind us that we are chosen.  We are chosen for a purpose- God's purpose!  We are made alive in Christ; we who were dead in sin are now alive in Christ Jesus!  That's important to remember to. . . chosen, and alive!  Then he reminds us that it is by God's grace that we have been saved-- just so we don't think it was because of our own brute strength!  Furthermore, those who were "out" are now "in."  Good news for us who are sinners!  

Once he has all of that groundwork laid, he comes in with the part about living a life worthy of the calling.  We have to understand ourselves, first and foremost, to be "called."  Once we get that, and I mean REALLY get that, then we begin the walking around with God.  That walking according to St. Paul has a distinct look to it:  it is a humble walking, a gentle strolling, a patient sauntering, a loving and unifying journey.  

Almost everyday I take my Labrador Retriever, Martin Luther, on a walk.  It's as much for me as it is for him.  That time spent on the biketrail with my dog is a time when I daily focus on "my walking around with God."  My spiritual director, Pamela, has taught me over the years to keep up with that walking- not just for the sake of exercise which is a good thing- but to be intentional about time spent with my Lord.  (I think she can tell when I've missed my walks!!)  Part of being a disciple is making time every day to intentionally be in the presence of God.  We call it prayer. . . but think about it as spending time with the one who loves you most.  Remember the early days of courtship with your beloved?  All you wanted to do was "hang out," to be together.  It didn't matter if you were watching TV, riding in a car, playing basketball, or whatever, you simply wanted to be near that person.  That is what God wants to do with each of us because he loves us so deeply.  He wants to be near us. . . do we want to be near him?  Simply inviting God into your presence so you can experience his holy presence is easier than you think.  He's already there!  Say his name.  "Lord" or "Jesus" or "Christ" or "Holy One" and you are making your intentions known to God that you want him to draw near to you.  That is prayer!  Simple, eh??  

Walking with God is about our discipleship; discipleship has a prayer component to it that strengthens us and reminds us that God is always near.  The two go hand in hand.  Bless you on your walking around with God, in your quiet time and in your service, in your humility and in your patience, in your words and in your silence.  

Photo:  Firelands Rails to Trails, February 4, 2011