Scripture: Ephesians 4:4-6
“You were all called to travel on the same road — and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are — and think and do — is infused with Oneness.”
Take a moment to think about yourself — your life — and what it means to grow up in today’s world. Whether you know it or not, we are all traveling a certain way — on the same road when it comes to the journey called life. The question is — can you “walk the walk?”
There’s a common expression that says, “You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?” It’s easy to say something, but it’s often harder to follow through on the things that we talk about. We normally do a good job of talking about what we should be doing. But in reality it is more difficult to practice what we preach or “walk the walk.”
All of us had to learn how to walk as a child. We were taught to walk by holding onto things to help us keep our balance. But more than anything — we held on to our parent’s hand. And as we gained our confidence — we would let go — then attempt to venture out on our own. Sooner than later – we took our first steps and then came to a sudden stop and lost our balance. And when we would fall down, quickly the hands of a loving parent would swoop down and pick us back up again. Before we knew it — we were stepping out taking baby steps — until we soon learned how to walk.
This same thing happens to us as Christians. Once we give our confession of faith — and become a follower of Jesus Christ, many of us only “talk the talk,” and not “walk the walk”! But, we are all children of God. No matter how old we get, we are still God’s children. And as a child of God, we are to live a Christ-like life that entails learning how to walk all over again.
Our life as a Christian is a daily walk with God. If we are going to talk the talk, we must also walk the walk. Just like a new baby learns how to walk, we as new Christians must learn how to walk through the obedience of God’s Word.
In Ephesians, we learn about three steps we could take on how to walk in obedience to God: with humility, gentleness and patience. Now these are not the only steps for us to follow. But if we learn to take these steps then the other steps will be easy for us to take.
There is a quote that says, “The journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.” Today is the first day of the rest of your life — so take the first step. Hold on to God’s unchanging hand and you will learn how to “walk the walk.”
Rev. Marion J. Miller is senior pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church, Jeffersonville. Contact her at 812-283-3747 or wesley1201@sbcglobal.net.
