So many times as a child I remember my Mom telling me to “watch where you are walking.” It was usually when I was outside. Since we lived in the country you never knew what would be on the ground. It may be something stinky or scary. Either way, you knew you needed to pay attention. Now as an adult, well beyond my youth, there are times I still need to be reminded of where I am walking. While most of us think about the physical things we may encounter when we are walking, God’s word reminds us of the spiritual side of our walk.
To watch where we are walking, we must be able to see where we are placing each footstep. In John 8:12 Jesus reminds us that He is the light of the world and if we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness. I am one of those people who do not like walking outside in the dark. Light enables us to see things distinctively and the brighter the light the easier it is to avoid undesirable things. When Jesus dwells within us we always have the light with us. In Matthew 9:9 Jesus says to us “Follow me.” When He said this Matthew got up and followed Him. To do this he must watch where Jesus is walking to follow Him.
John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Matthew 9:9 “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.”
If we are wise, we will stay close to Him and we will ask for His wisdom to guide us. In Matthew 25 we see the story of the ten virgins. They were waiting for the bridegroom. Five of them kept their lamps full of oil and ready to go. The other five did not pay attention to their lamps and they ran out of oil. They could follow no one because they had no way to see the pathway before them. They had not been watching and staying ready for the bridegroom and therefore they were left behind. The door was shut, and they could not enter when they arrived late. Christians that do not stay ready will be caught off guard and they will easily fail to take the right steps.
Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for ourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
We are to also walk in the footsteps of those who have gone before us and lived a successful Christian life. In the last phrase in Romans 4:12, Paul tells the church to “walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham.” We have examples all around us and throughout the scriptures to watch and follow. Paul teaches us in I Corinthians 11:1 to be followers of Him, and then he qualifies the instruction by telling us it will be profitable to follow him because he is following Christ. If we study and know what the Bible teaches we will be able to watch and walk with great success.
We are to walk in this newness of life in Romans 6:4. We have been saved and therefore we are to walk differently than before. We are to walk not after the flesh. The flesh represents the desires that are sinful the new life represents our new relationship with Christ.
Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
In Ephesians 5:2 we are to walk in love. We are to let the love of Christ that is within us flow out of us to others.
Ephesians 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.”
We are given multiple instructions throughout Scripture on how to walk and we need to pay attention to those commands.
In Ephesians 3:8b we are to “walk as children of light.”
In I Thessalonians 4:12, we are to “walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.” We need to be especially mindful of our testimony in front of those who are not saved. A familiar comment from those who are not Christians is “If he is a Christian, I am too. He does the same things I do.”
We are to walk worthy as we are taught in I Thessalonians 2:12 “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.”
We must pay attention to our walk in Christ. I see Christians who have been saved for many years, yet their walk is still like a baby taking their first steps. They have not advanced from the imbalance that comes from seeking to be like the world, yet proclaiming Christ. They have not understood the biblical truths that teach us that we are in the world, but we are not to allow the world in us.
Pay attention and watch where and how you are walking.
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