Walking Like Christ

As many of you know, I love to hunt. One of the most important aspects of hunting is scouting and being able to read the signs left by whatever game your hunting.

For example, a footprint is extremely important. It tells you what kind of animal it is; concerning a deer, it tells you whether it’s a male or female. A footprint can tell you which direction an animal is traveling; it can tell you their normal route. A footprint is an indication of the animal’s size and maturity.

What about our footprints? What do the footprints of our lives say to those who come behind us?

The psalmist proclaimed in Psalms 85:13 “Righteousness will go before Him and make His footsteps into a way.” He is speaking of the Lord. The Lord, in His righteousness, has created a pathway for His children to follow.

Psalms 119:33 says, “Establish my footsteps in your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.” Here the psalmist is asking God to guard him against sin and to set the course of his life—his walk— in the Word of God.

I posed the question in last week’s post, “How do we walk like Christ and yet leave the footprints of men?”

The following is my point: How can we be these great spiritual Christians and yet the footprints— the signs left behind as we live our lives— look more like those of men and women of the world.

Again quoting the psalmist, Psalms17:5 says, “My steps have held fast to your paths, my feet have not slipped.” This ought to be the battle cry of our lives every single day! We must guard our walk!

Every believer should consider the parameters of his or her walk. The Word of God defines the parameter of our lives and walk as being distinguished by light and darkness. In Ephesians 5:6-14, the Apostle Paul reveals for us the fruit of walking in the light as goodness, righteousness, and truth. Consistently walking in the light requires real attentiveness to the things of God.

When considering the footprints we leave as God’s children, it is not just the parameters of our walk but it’s the purity of our walk that also matters. I John 1:7 tells us, “If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Walking in purity insists that we walk like Christ walked. Not only this, but also identified in this passage is the need to be honest with ourselves about where we are walking. Essential to our Christian purity are two things. The first is the blood of Jesus; this is the real cleansing agent. The second is our confession— our recognition of our sinfulness and the purity that is ours in Christ alone.

When believers leave the footprints of Christ, when we guard the parameters of our lives and the purity of our walk, we can know the peace of walking with Jesus that so many “Christians” are desperate for.

When’s the last time you looked at the footprints you’re leaving behind?

Pastor Barry

The Footprints of Men

It’s that time of year when we begin to sum up the worth of the previous eleven months and sift them like wheat for anything of value. We ask the following question: what has been the fruit of my labors this past year? While I am quite confident that God has used me in the life of others this year and there is measurable fruit to be seen, I must be honest and tell you that I am struggling with some issues that will impact the future.

Of late it seems my mind is constantly full of thoughts concerning our church family and serious subject matter such as biblical parenting, godly prioritization of our lives, proportional giving, and developing leaders for the next generation; however, what I find to be almost consuming me is the subject of church and how we do it in America.

I am much afraid the church is doing nothing more than keeping people busy with “religious” stuff activities designed to build numbers and generate cash flow. I am concerned that we are forfeiting some of the most important things of our faith to make room on the calendar for programs and events.

My prayer as we head into 2012 is that God will grant me wisdom as to how we can become a people who live for Jesus as a result of what’s welling up on the inside rather than what we have been corralled into from the outside. I pray that we would find a way to deprogram our lives from traditional thinking and become relational ministers in every aspect of our lives, reshaping our thinking in regards to Bible study, worship and missions. I study the Bible because it is where I learn of God, not because I need to be ready for class. I worship because Jesus is living in me and I need to express to God my gratitude. I don’t go on a mission trip; I am continually on mission for Jesus Christ.

I have a great desire to see the physical church look less like the church of America and more like the synagogue we read about in the word. Rather than a place we gather for an hour or two and act spiritual, it becomes a hub for educating, equipping, engaging believers, and ultimately exalting God.

In addition to training ourselves to think differently, a greater struggle will be to mesh what we have begun in the pre-school and academy with this thinking. How do we meet the need for great academics and child care while not ushering people into the same busy lifestyle and mindset of the world?

My question is simply: how do we walk more like Christ and not have the footprint of men?

I pray you have a blessed Christmas and New Year!

In His Service,
Pastor Barry