1 Kings 8:58 That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgements, which he commanded our fathers.
Oh my most esteemed Friends in Christ, today we’ll continue to look at walking with the Lord. As we said yesterday, it’s not a mere suggestion, but a vital command to all believers. We can’t call ourselves true believers unless we’re trying our very best to walk a path worthy of the Most High God Jehovah. And we noted too, that from the very beginning, all God’s associations with man carried specific instructions on how to behave. From Adam not eating of the forbidden fruit, right down to the giving of the Ten Commandments. But why is walking in God’s law so important? In the first place it’s God’s will for us. He is our Leader, and that’s what leaders do; map a path for their followers. Secondly, it’s for our protection, so that we don’t get lost, confused and caught up in the mockery, idol worship and lusts of the world and go astray. Friends, the Lord knows better than us the evil ways and wiles of the enemy, that’s why He wants us to always walk close to Him. He knows that without Him there to protect us, we’re easy, willing prey for Lucifer and his henchmen. Bruh David understood this when he cried out; ‘Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes: and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.’ (Ps.119:33-36) Walking with the Lord is not easy my people, as we can see from Bruh David’s passionate plea, but it’s doable, if we set our hearts and minds to it. And it’s no joke to the Lord. He takes it very seriously. Listen to His command to Jeremiah re the punishment of Judah for their sinful rebellion. ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.’ (Jer.7:21-24) And the Lord was quite right. He never told them anything about burnt offerings and sacrifices in the Ten Commandments. However, He wasn’t minimizing or trivializing the Old Testament sacrifices, but drawing attention to the absolute necessity of believers to live an obedient life, totally devoted to God. And throughout the Good Book, we read that religious observances without spiritual involvement are meaningless. It’s like us being always in Church and talking up a storm about God in public, but in private, enjoying, luxuriating in the fleshly lusts of the enemy. The two don’t mix or jive at all my people. And what price did Judah pay? ‘Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.’ (Jer.7:34) Ah my Friends, we have to pay close attention to those words, because our land, in fact the whole world is becoming a more desolate place daily. Where once lush breadbaskets existed, now drought and famine and pestilence rule. Mirth and gladness are increasingly scarce with the fear and tension of the economic catastrophe, the real or imagined terrorist threat, the increased gang violence, where now we’re not even safe in our homes. A man’s home is no longer his castle, with a surrounding moat and drawbridge, because the enemy violates them through the latest crime tactic aptly labelled ‘home invasion,’ thereby robbing us of that safety factor. Nowadays it’s not even wise to open your door to strangers. And in spite of all the sophisticated, high-tech gadgetry; alarms, video cameras, cell phones etc. people are being assaulted and killed in ever increasing frequency. This only proves the adage that whatever man makes, man will find a way to break or overcome. My Friends, that’s why we need to walk ever so closely on the path of life with our God, who’s also our Guide and Protector. He’s the only one both willing and able to protect us from harm, from the lure of the evil one. Micah put it in a nutshell: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:8) But really Friends, ONE commandment covers it all; ‘And this is LOVE, that we walk after (according to) his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.’ (2 John 6) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! If we walk in LOVE, then we’ll be in full obedience to God’s will, for ‘LOVE worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore Love is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom.13:10) So Friends, it’s essential that we concentrate on our LOVE walk, if we desire to walk with God and enjoy His many blessings. Any other kind of walk is useless and will only bring further calamity to our already messed up lives. So let’s continue to LOVE our God and faithfully LIVE His Word. Much LOVE!…though our LOVE walk is sometimes hard…if we pray for help…help, the Father will provide…
Oh my most esteemed Friends in Christ, today we’ll continue to look at walking with the Lord. As we said yesterday, it’s not a mere suggestion, but a vital command to all believers. We can’t call ourselves true believers unless we’re trying our very best to walk a path worthy of the Most High God Jehovah. And we noted too, that from the very beginning, all God’s associations with man carried specific instructions on how to behave. From Adam not eating of the forbidden fruit, right down to the giving of the Ten Commandments. But why is walking in God’s law so important? In the first place it’s God’s will for us. He is our Leader, and that’s what leaders do; map a path for their followers. Secondly, it’s for our protection, so that we don’t get lost, confused and caught up in the mockery, idol worship and lusts of the world and go astray. Friends, the Lord knows better than us the evil ways and wiles of the enemy, that’s why He wants us to always walk close to Him. He knows that without Him there to protect us, we’re easy, willing prey for Lucifer and his henchmen. Bruh David understood this when he cried out; ‘Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes: and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.’ (Ps.119:33-36) Walking with the Lord is not easy my people, as we can see from Bruh David’s passionate plea, but it’s doable, if we set our hearts and minds to it. And it’s no joke to the Lord. He takes it very seriously. Listen to His command to Jeremiah re the punishment of Judah for their sinful rebellion. ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination (stubbornness) of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.’ (Jer.7:21-24) And the Lord was quite right. He never told them anything about burnt offerings and sacrifices in the Ten Commandments. However, He wasn’t minimizing or trivializing the Old Testament sacrifices, but drawing attention to the absolute necessity of believers to live an obedient life, totally devoted to God. And throughout the Good Book, we read that religious observances without spiritual involvement are meaningless. It’s like us being always in Church and talking up a storm about God in public, but in private, enjoying, luxuriating in the fleshly lusts of the enemy. The two don’t mix or jive at all my people. And what price did Judah pay? ‘Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.’ (Jer.7:34) Ah my Friends, we have to pay close attention to those words, because our land, in fact the whole world is becoming a more desolate place daily. Where once lush breadbaskets existed, now drought and famine and pestilence rule. Mirth and gladness are increasingly scarce with the fear and tension of the economic catastrophe, the real or imagined terrorist threat, the increased gang violence, where now we’re not even safe in our homes. A man’s home is no longer his castle, with a surrounding moat and drawbridge, because the enemy violates them through the latest crime tactic aptly labelled ‘home invasion,’ thereby robbing us of that safety factor. Nowadays it’s not even wise to open your door to strangers. And in spite of all the sophisticated, high-tech gadgetry; alarms, video cameras, cell phones etc. people are being assaulted and killed in ever increasing frequency. This only proves the adage that whatever man makes, man will find a way to break or overcome. My Friends, that’s why we need to walk ever so closely on the path of life with our God, who’s also our Guide and Protector. He’s the only one both willing and able to protect us from harm, from the lure of the evil one. Micah put it in a nutshell: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic.6:8) But really Friends, ONE commandment covers it all; ‘And this is LOVE, that we walk after (according to) his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.’ (2 John 6) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! If we walk in LOVE, then we’ll be in full obedience to God’s will, for ‘LOVE worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore Love is the fulfilling of the law.’ (Rom.13:10) So Friends, it’s essential that we concentrate on our LOVE walk, if we desire to walk with God and enjoy His many blessings. Any other kind of walk is useless and will only bring further calamity to our already messed up lives. So let’s continue to LOVE our God and faithfully LIVE His Word. Much LOVE!…though our LOVE walk is sometimes hard…if we pray for help…help, the Father will provide…
SCRIP-BITS 