God is faithful and good. God is sovereign. God is our redeemer.
What is our Mission?
Walk and Work in Love
Intermission, Week 3
Walking—can you imagine not walking? It is something we do without even thinking. We learned how to walk at one point; our parents held our hands, walked alongside us, and eventually celebrated those first steps we took on our own. As toddlers, those who waddle and toddle back and forth, when we stumbled and fell, they picked us back up and encouraged us to keep going until walking became intrinsic —without concern or fear, we walked. Unless we are injured, we put our feet on solid ground and take one step at a time without even contemplating the hows and whys because it is just what we do.
So, if there is anything that most people can relate to, it is walking. It should not surprise us that God uses the term 'walk' as a metaphor in scripture to describe how we live out our faith. Walking is not only a motion we do with our feet; it also refers to how we conduct life. In fact, it is our mission, and our focus this week, to Walk and Work in Love.
Walking, in a literal sense, is coordinating the motion of our legs to take us where we want to go. Figuratively, it refers to coordinating the manner of our lives to make us what we ought to be —"imitators of God, as beloved children (Ephesians 5:1).
As Christians, our 'walk by faith' begins the same way as it did as babies. Initially, we hold onto the hands of other believers, trusting them to direct us to Jesus, and we celebrate together our 'first step' of faith—placing our trust in Jesus Christ as the only way to Salvation. The more we abide in Christ, read His word, rejoice always, and pray without ceasing, and when we give thanks in all circumstances to our King and desire to do His will, we grow in confidence, and our faith matures. Walking is a part of our everyday motion; it is not just something we do a few times a year or on Sunday mornings.
As we continue to walk step by step, we follow Him and walk as Jesus walked. John tells us that "whoever keeps his word, in him, truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked" (1 John 2:5-6). Step by step, we mature when we hear the word, believe the word, speak the word, and obey the word. There is no maturity, no growth, no movement, nothing without the word. Jesus, the Word that dwelt among us says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me (that is without Jesus) you can do NOTHING" (John 15:4-5).
Walking takes practice. It is hard to understand as adults, but it only takes a few moments with a toddler to remind us that falling down over and over is part of that practice. The Bible doesn't promise a trouble-free existence. We will fall. We will sin. We will be sanctified. We will have trials in this world. Times will be tough, but God is there. The Psalmist wrote, "When I thought, “My foot slips," your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up (Psalm 94:18). The same is true for our walking. When we slip, His steadfast Love holds us (toddlers) up. We are not without hope. When we fall down really hard, it hurts, it is painful. However, if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive us our sins, and He will pick us up! (1 John 1:9, emphasis mine) We are toddlers with a promise. Psalm 37:24 says, "Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand."
After I grew confident in my walking abilities, I started to run. My mom would consistently tell me, "Walk, don't run." Young, impulsive Meghan moved quickly, but not without falling or wreaking havoc. I broke a few fences, ran through some pottery boutiques, and wanted to dart wherever I went. The time and circumstances that I wanted to run were not always wise; my mother knew this much better than I did. Colossians 2:6-7 says, "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." I wasn't supposed to run; I was told to walk. In my running, I was satisfying myself and desiring to run the course (the Christian life) on my own —at my own speed, not the Spirits. Determined to succeed, I ran instead of walking where I wanted to go. Running was not how I was taught. I was not equipped or trained to run yet. The Lord was teaching me how to walk well first. God is faithful and good, and so patient with me. Running ahead of the work that He prepared for me was just like running through the pottery aisles, it would leave a trail of brokenness in my wake. We can't run effectively for Him until we can walk effectively with Him.
The more we abide with Jesus and walk with Him, the more He reveals the work that He has for us. Walking and working are not the same. Walking with God is about getting to know Him, spending time with Him, and abiding by Him, imagine walking with God in the Garden. Working for God is about actively doing something that advances God's mission, which is our mission. Jesus wants us to work with Him, not for Him, and to be partners, co-laborers, in His ministry and the building of His kingdom. The work is created and looks different for each of us. In fact,"we are his (God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand. [That is, before we were formed- before we were born -before we acknowledged Him as our Lord and Savior, He prepared the work for you!] that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). This passage screams God is sovereign!
Sisters, this is what we do: stand firm on solid ground (Bible truth), take one step at a time. Look carefully at how you walk, by the Spirit and not by the running flesh, and may it be in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. Our mission is to walk and work in love "and to be imitators of God as beloved Children to walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2). Just do it.
❤️ Meghan
If you missed the intermission teaching, you can listen to it here. Make sure you look for the Act 5: Home card in the hallway at church.
