Walkin' the Talk

"For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God forever and ever."
(Micah 4:5)

What a glorious declaration! "BUT WE will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever!"

What is the alternative? Walking in the name of another god. Or, "Choose this day whom you will serve." Now that's an interesting thought for another day...

What does it mean to walk in the Name of the Lord? It means we identify ourselves with Him. It means we represent Him to our world. Like my father-in-law used to say, "You might be the only Bible someone else will ever read." How true!

When we walk through this world as a Christian, not only is OUR reputation on the line, more importantly, the Lord's reputation is at stake. He depends on us to represent Him correctly. That is a tall order, one we cannot achieve in our own strength. But.

BUT, His grace is sufficient.
BUT, the power of God transforms us, as we yield to Him.
BUT, as we choose to put on the garment of Salvation, we choose to put on Christ.

Colossians 2:6 reads, "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him."

1 John 2:6 reads, "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."

And lastly, Colossians 1:10, "that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

We must walk worthy of Him.
We must walk in a manner that pleases Him.
We must bear much fruit in all we do.
We must increase in our knowledge of Him.

And then, we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God forever.

Lord, this is a tall order. Help us to understand that "it is not I that lives, but Christ that lives in me." There is no way we can walk in perfection. In fact, you don't require that of us. But, You do expect us to take our relationship with You seriously and to not play the religious games that ensnare us. Set us free, Lord. Set us free to worship You. Set us free to love You in a way that walking in Your Name becomes second nature. You have given us an honor - a duty. Lord, cause us to be worthy of such a high calling.