Are You Walking the Walk...Or Just Talking the Talk?

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By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 John 2:5-6

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Today's Bible Verse

 

 

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The Christian walk involves Christlikeness (1 John 2:6 )

The Christian walk involves righteousness (Romans 8:4)

The Christian walk involves obedience(2 John 1:6)

The Christian walk involves faith (2 Corinthians 5:7)

The Christian walk involves a new way of thinking (Ephesians 4:17)

The Christian walk involves fidelity to the Lord—our character should “match up” to His. (Ephesians 4:1–3)

In Colossians 1:10–12, walking “worthy” is tied to four personal characteristics:

1) being fruitful in every good work
2) steadily increasing in the knowledge of God
3) using the power of God to joyfully endure and patiently persevere, and
4) giving thanks to the Father.

If you are a Christian seeking to walk more closely with Christ, pray and ask for direction. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Don’t feel as though God is “too busy” or has more important things to do. When you are a child of God, He always has time for you. Know that the Christian walk is blessed: “The LORD watches over the way of the righteous” (Psalm 1:6).

If you are not yet a Christian, we encourage you to pray to God, confessing your sin and placing your faith in the crucified and risen Lord Jesus. Begin your Christian walk and have the assurance that you have eternal life.

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1. Walk in Love (Ephesians 5:2)

A disciple walks in the footsteps of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself up for us. Walking in love is practical, sacrificial, and for the good of others.

In Ephesians 4, Paul describes what this Christian walk looks like. Walking in love involves humility, gentleness, bearing with one another, and maintaining peace (Ephesian. 4:2-3).

In the church, it means identifying and using our spiritual gifts to encourage and serve others (Ephesians 4:7). In our relationships, it involves speaking truth in love to one another (Ephesians 4:25), and forgiving and reconciling with each other instead of sinning in our anger (Epesians: 4:26).

Our speech should not be corrupt but we should use it to build others up (Ephesians 4:29). Internally, we put away anger, bitterness, slander, and malice. Instead, we display kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness (Epesians 4:31-32). We follow Jesus by walking in love.

2. Walk in the Light (Ephesians 5:8)

Jesus has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into his kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13-14). He calls us to walk in the light as he himself is in the light (1 John 1:5-7).

In Ephesians 5, Paul addresses 3 practical areas of walking in the light: how we use our body, our tongue, and our money. Walking in the light involves a life of daily repentance before God and regular, honest confession to others.

Sin loses its power in our lives when we bring it into the light and God’s grace shines upon it. The more we hide it, the more it seems potent, alive, and attractive. We follow Jesus by walking in the light.

3. Walk in Wisdom (Ephesians 5:15)

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Question of the Day

Is following Jesus easy or difficult?

Click Here to Answer at The Christian Walk Blog!

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The Way of Christ!

The way of Christ is not an easy road. Following Jesus is a narrow path (Matthew 7:13–14). Following Jesus Christ is difficult. In fact, without the grace of God, following Jesus would be impossible (Matthew 19:25–26). Jesus demands total surrender and complete submission. He will not settle for second place in our lives. Jesus calls us to be willing to give up anything and everything in following Him. Our most intimate family bonds, our careers, our material wealth, even our very own lives must be subordinate to our love and allegiance to Jesus (Matthew 10:37–39; Luke 14:26).

To follow Jesus means to recognize and submit to Him as our Savior, Lord, and God (Luke 2:11; John 20:28). Following Christ is difficult because it demands not only a willingness to die for Him, but to live for Him through sacrificial service (Romans 12:1; Philippians 1:22). Following Christ is difficult because it requires self-discipline and God's discipline (1 Corinthians 9:25–27; Hebrews 12:3–11).

In following Christ, we must discipline our hearts, minds, and bodies so that we are fighting ready, because following Christ also means that we are at war. Followers of Christ are at war with the Devil, the world, and the old sin natures that reside in us (Ephesians 6:11–12; 1 Peter 5:8; John 15:18; 1 John 3:13; Romans 7:21–25; Galatians 5:17). Following Christ is difficult because it involves suffering (2 Timothy 3:12).

In following Christ, we go against our natural, sinful natures and against the fallen and corrupted world system. We live contrary to the reign of Satan and sin in our world (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1–3), and it can be challenging to go against the natural stream.

By saying, "Take up your cross and follow Me" Jesus was giving us an example of the concept of "death to self," which originates in another saying of Jesus, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" (Luke 9:24-25). The idea is that nothing in this life is worth keeping if it means losing eternal life, not a job, not a family, not a group of friends, not even our very identity. The call is tough, but the eternal reward is well worth the temporary pain.

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