Walk This Way
Walk This Way
He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
1 John 2:4-6
How do we know that we are truly abiding in God? How do we know that we are moving toward true intimacy with the Father?
Church attendance is important, but it is not an indication of intimacy with God. Reading your Bible is essential to spiritual growth, but just reading the Bible is not a sign of intimacy either. God doesn’t want us to just read, hear, sing, or speak His Word–He wants us to obey it!
John explains in 1 John 2 “If someone claims, ‘I am in an intimate relationship with Him,’ but this big talker doesn’t live out His commands, then this individual is a liar and a stranger to the truth (vs. 4 VOICE). John calls them a liar and stranger to the truth. This may seem harsh, but it is a very necessary truth. Intimacy does not come from living in direct opposition to His Word.
John explains, conversely, if someone acknowledges God’s Word by obeying and applying it to their lives, then God’s love has truly taken root in them. John gives us a sure fire way to know if we are in an intimate relationship with God–we should walk like Jesus walked.
Christ’s life is an example to us. On earth, He lived in true unity and intimacy with His Father. He was always about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). He walked in constant fellowship and dependence upon Him, and sought to please Him in all that He said and did (John 12: 49; 14:31). Jesus was obedient to the Father even to the point of death (Phil. 2:8). He shared a beautiful unity and intimacy with His Father.
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we have life! And with this life, we should do all that we can to please Him. This begins by allowing God’s Word to transform us. Don’t just read and hear the Word, but aim to obey and apply it to your life and you will begin to see change. This is how we walk in the Fruit of the Spirit. This is how we grow in love. When we obey God’s Word and allow God’s love to be perfected in us, we will walk in love towards our fellowman and will abstain from the sinful things of the world. Love and obedience are manifested in our lives when we walk like Jesus.
This is not to physically imitate His movements, but to be an imitator of His actions, closely observing the Word of God to know what He did, how He responded, how He obeyed, how He loved, and how He served. Once you know what He did, do what He did! He has set the path before us, so we cannot go wrong if we walk like Him.
Your friend in the journey,
Erica
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