1 Thess 4:1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; NKJV
Finally! Paul is about to share some important advice to the Thessalonian believers … how you ought to walk and to please God. Here he gets down to the practical. Our Christian faith is all about belief and behavior, words and works. The challenge is to keep them in balance as it is never a case of either/or. Paul defines the life of Christian discipleship as two things: to walk and to please God.
Deut 5:33 You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. NKJV
And David made it clear that God knows that we are walking in suffering and sorrow …
Ps 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. NKJV
We are not just walking with God, He walking through our journey with us. Our problem, however, is that for too many of us, life has become more of a sprint than a walk. Here in Colorado you have to watch out for two types of people who are not watching out for you… runners and bikers, both of whom have their ears covered with some form of audio input.
I’m a walker, whether its outside or on a treadmill. I find it a true way of being alone with God and reflecting on the voice of His Spirit. But on the days that I am “plugged” into something or thinking about the day ahead, I find myself missing a great opportunity to “walk with Him.” And even more importantly I am missing an opportunity to “please Him.”
More often than not, we are more likely to think that we’re pleasing God in our many activities “for Him” rather than in a slow and steady daily walk with Him. David put it well …
Ps 27:14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! NKJV
In our day of instant gratification we don’t like to wait for anything. We want results now! Someone, I don’t remember who, said, “My trouble is that I’m always in a hurry, but God never seems to be.”
To please God is to wait for Him and to walk with Him. Isaiah made that point…
Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. KJV
Pastor Gary Demarest summed it up… “There are times to soar and times to run. But most of life is walking and waiting.” As Jesus’ bride we need to heed that advice. To live life that way is to please God. To grow in Christ is to experience His infinite love, and we can’t do that if we are always in a hurry. Paul tells us that if we do, we will abound more and more.
Pull out the ear buds, turn off the news and wait for Him … then you can walk with Him.
This Wednesday’s Video Challenge
024 The Heart of the Matter – Part 1
Part 1 is video 023