Walk of Worship

Overlap

As we consider the last element in our series on worship, you notice the correspondence between each part. In some cases our works of worship and walk of worship would almost be synonymous. What this reveals is that inconsistencies in these different areas of our lives will alway be evident, if we are objective enough to notice or if others are brave enough to confront us. 

The overlap between what we say, what we do, and where we go is important for both our testimony to others, as well as, our own sense of peace. Often, Christians struggle to find real abiding peace because of the very real friction in their behavior and habits. We have cognitive dissonance, because our stated values and beliefs are not matching our actual actions and motivations.

In the first post, we dealt with the worship of our words, which we could think of in practical terms as how we use our lips or mouth to worship God. In the second installment, we considered the worship of our works, which correlates nicely with our hands. In this post, I want to consider our walk, meaning our feet or our steps.

Location

Maybe the best place to start in thinking about our walk in relation to our lives as worship to God is to consider where we are. Where have our feet or steps brought us in life? Of course we are probably inclined to the fact that this is really about the decisions that we have made which is true. But, as we have walked the path of life, we must consider where we are and where we have come from.  

As sinners we must recognize the state of sin from which God has brought us.  Too often we forget the tangible victories that God has given over sin and doubt when we have safely arrived far from those things. We don’t need to dwell on the sin, but we do need to remember to continue to celebrate those victories.

As image bearers of God we must recognize how God is restoring the image of God as we walk the path of life. We are being renewed by truth (Romans 12:2) and conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). This does not happen in an instantaneous experience, but rather, through the progressive growth of sanctification. We begin as spiritual infants when we are born again as followers of Christ. But then we are meant to grow into mature manhood (Ephesians 4:13). 

As followers of Christ we are meant to reflect His glory in the world in which we live. Reflecting Christ requires humble but bold consistency between our walk and our talk. This kind of steady and honest way is crucial to our ministry and mission for God.

Direction

Next we must also be thinking about where we are going. The call to salvation is a call to follow Christ. The Apostle Paul refers to this as imitation (1 Thessalonians 1:6).  This means that we are going in the same direction. Our idea of repentance is shaped by this concept. We were once traveling in the opposite direction from Christ and His kingdom but turned around and began to follow Him. This means that we go wherever He leads even if that is not the path we would have chosen or the plan we had for our lives. 

While this does leave us with some questions in the meantime we must also remember that we know the end goal. We are on our way to the place that He has prepared for us (John 14:1-7).  We are on our way to a new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13).  Therefore we are looking for a home that we have never seen before.

Transportation

Finally, we also need to remember what we are carrying on this journey. We are bringing with us the message of good news. Jesus told us to go into all the world making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).  This is why the Bible talks about the beautiful feet of those who bring the good news ( Romans 10:14-17). As we venture out into the world, whether across the street or around the globe, remember that as Christians we are taking the most important and wonderful message with us to those who most definitely need it!

Today, a group of us from the North Central Baptist Association are leaving to take the gospel to the people of northern Utah. Please pray for us to be safe in our travel, compassionate in every interaction, and bold in our mission!

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