A Pastor’s Perspective

“Walk…Every Day” by Mike Hill, pastor of Calvary Chapel Aberdeen (mjhill@ida.net)

 My wife is an inspiration to me.  Her dedication to physical, emotional, and spiritual health compel her to walk every day.  Just as the post office faithfully delivers mail in rain, wind, sleet, or snow, she consistently goes on a walk, no matter what the weather is like.  I want my walk with God to be that consistent!

 I remember there was a time that my church attendance whittled down to two days a year.  Christmas and Easter.  For me, it became an issue of a religious obligation rather than genuine desire for spiritual things.  Now I realize that God isn’t interested or impressed with a “jumping through the hoops” approach.  He desires a relationship with us.  He wants us to walk with Him…every day.

 What does God require of us?  Religious rituals?  To eat or abstain from certain foods?  To attend church every day?  No.  God simply requires three things.  Do justly.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly with God.  Every day.  The prophet Micah declares, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NIV).

 To act justly.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.  Be just and fair.  This applies even in your business dealings.  Pay what you owe in a timely manner.  Don’t charge more than is fair and agreed upon.  It’s hypocritical to be all spiritual at church on Sunday but greedy and deceitful in the office on Monday. 

 To love mercy.  God loves to show mercy towards us.  The Bible says, “He [God] has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.  For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:10-11).  He wants us to love to show the same mercy towards others (cf. Ephesians 4:32).  Mercy is not getting the full measure of negative consequences we deserve.  Your child spills the milk.  Be kind.  Show mercy.  Your husband forgets where his keys are…again.  Help him find them.  The guy in a rush in the parking lot bumps his GMC into your little Taurus.  Show mercy. 

 To walk humbly with God.  Noah walked with God.  Abraham walked with God.  Enoch walked with God.  To walk with God simply means to include Him on your journey through life.  But it also means He was to walk with us!  He’s inviting you and I to walk with Him!   To daily base your decisions upon His will revealed in His Word, the Bible. Step by step.  Day by day.  Humbly.  To be humble is to have an accurate understanding of who God is and who you are.  He’s God.  You’re not.  He’s holy and righteous.  You’re sinful and needy.  To walk humbly with God is to completely depend upon the Lord Jesus for your spiritual life and strength.  To walk humbly with the Lord is to let Him guide you step by step through life by His Word.  “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).  Come wind, rain, sleet, or snow.  Walk with Him…every day.