Jump Start # 2945
Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together unless they agree?”
Our verse today comes from a series of questions that the Lord through the prophet Amos is trying to get the nation to see. Walking—we do that every day. In the neighborhoods people take walks. In our parks there are paths and trails to walk.
Genesis tells us that both Enoch and Noah walked with God. Today, we are to ‘walk in the light’ (1 Jn 1:7), ‘walk in the newness of life’ (Rom 6:4), ‘walk by faith’ (2 Cor 5:7), ‘walk by the Spirit’ (Gal 5:16), ‘walk in a worthy manner’ (Eph 4:1), ‘walk in love’ (Eph 5:2), ‘walk as children of light’ (Eph 5:8), walk as ‘wise’ (Eph 5:15), ‘walk according to the pattern’ (Phil 3:17), and ‘walk in Him’ (Col 2:6).
That’s a lot of walking! Just what does it mean to walk with the Lord?
First, we must go the same direction as God is going. It’s not a matter of God following us, but instead, we follow God. There are many who want to walk with God, but they expect God to tag along as they go down the dark road of sin and moral decay. You won’t find God there. He won’t follow you. Either you walk where God is going, or you walk alone.
Second, there are some who want to stop when God keeps going. I get this when I take a walk in the neighborhood with my little grandchildren. At first, they are bursting with eagerness and are nearly running. But it doesn’t take long for their little legs to get tired. We usually pull a wagon with us because before we get back home, one or more of them are in that wagon. Some want the ‘love’ stuff of the Bible, but they don’t want the commitment parts. They’ve stopped and God has kept on going. Others, like the helping others, but not that light of the world stuff. Some don’t want forgiveness. Some want to worship when there is nothing else going on. The problem is, there is always something going on. Oh, they want to walk with God, but they want to stop when God is still going.
Third, obviously, there are those who want to keep going when the Lord has stopped. God stops with His definition of marriage. Some want to go further than God has. God has specifics about moral behavior. Some want to go beyond that. Some want to be as worldly, carnal, and, immoral as it suits them, yet be Heaven bound. God has stopped, but they have kept going. Many do this doctrinally. Many do this morally. Many do this with the purpose and function of the church. Never satisfied with what God has established, they want to improve upon it. They view the Bible as being fluid, changing, evolving and never, ever stopping. No absolutes, because that’s a stop sign. Wrong for you, may be ok for me. And what I think is wrong, is only wrong for me. I cannot tell others that it’s wrong for them. That’s an absolute. That’s a red light. Modern thinkers and modern churches want to keep progressing. On they go, even though God has stopped. And, before long, they turn around and God is no longer in sight. They have left Him and now they are on their own.
To walk with God is to let God take the lead. He sets the direction, not us. He determines which way we go, not us. He sets the pace, not us. He determines when we stop, not us. He decides how far we travel, not us. We need to appreciate and understand, that walking with God often takes us to lion’s dens, prison cells, fiery furnaces, dark valleys, stormy seas, and challenging times. Those who have little tolerance for inconvenience won’t do well. Those who must have comfort and all the attention likely will struggle. The winds blow. The water rises. The storm howls throughout the night. Another trip to the hospital. Another funeral to arrange. Another sleepless night. Another difficult conversation. Another encounter with meanness. And, some wonder why? Some begin to question. But others realize that they are still following the Lord. For Jesus, that path took Him to Calvary and a cross.
I have little tolerance for the crowd that jokingly says, “I love Jesus,” while a beer is in their hand and before the night ends, they will be committing fornication. Their Jesus is an idol that they created. Their Jesus is not the holy God of the Bible. They may jump up and down and squeal, “I love Jesus,” but will they follow Him? Will they follow Him into holiness? Will they follow Him into Biblical worship? Will they follow Him into denying themselves and taking up their cross? Will they walk only where the Lord walks?
It’s easy to see how others fumble at this, but what about myself? Do I walk with God into forgiving those who bother me? Do I walk with God in putting a lid on my temper? Do I walk with God in being kind, generous and a servant to others?
Can two walk together unless they are agreed? You want to go left and I want to go right. Either we walk alone, going our own separate ways, or one of us goes along with the other and we walk together. With God, it’s always the bending of our ways to be with Him. He knows us. He knows what’s best for us.
To walk with God is to go the same direction God is going…
Roger