Our Walk With God

Lately, I have been thinking about what makes a good follower of Jesus. How are we to proceed on our walk with God and draw closer to Him? There are so many distractions in our lives that take our focus away from Christ, whether that be family, work or even if it's just binge watching the latest Netflix series. It doesn't create a basis for a happy life. It just draws away from the presence of God.

I often turn to the Psalms to hear God's wisdom and the first Psalm gives us instructions in how to walk with God. Its first word 'Blessed' is the same first word Jesus says in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3). In Hebrew, "esher" and the Greek "makarios", it means happy. God wants you to be happy, to be joyous in his Word. Your happiness and knowledge of God should be at the centre of who you are. We should radiate his love and be a light to those around us.

The rest of the first verse says ‘Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers’.

By obeying God and not letting the influence of sinners interrupt our walk with Christ, we will be rewarded. How many of us have surrounded ourselves with friendships and people who discredit our Lord and Saviour? Do we allow them to influence our thoughts and behaviour?

If we do allow these ‘mockers’ of God’s will to influence us, then we can become indifferent or hardened to God’s purpose for each of us to live a sinless life. We need to surround ourselves with friends who build us and our faith up, not dismantle it bit by bit. True friends help, not mock our faith and do not hinder our relationship with God. God wants us to be faithful to his will and those that follow his will, will be blessed.

How do we follow God then? The answer is provided in these words in verse two – ‘we meditate on God’s Word’. This does not mean we just sit down with a cup of coffee and read, but we need to spend time thinking about what we read and apply it to our lives. The Bible is God’s way of speaking to us about how we should live our lives. When we need help or guidance, it is God’s Word that we can turn to. Are you feeling anxious, fearful, confused or are having to make difficult decisions? Then the answer is in God’s Word. The Bible is a manual in how to live one’s life according to God’s purpose. As we turn to God’s Word, our delight in following God’s will, will be reflected in us leading fulfilled and blessed lives.

If we follow God, we can become ‘like a tree’ (Psalm 1:3) that will be fed and watered so that we can produce useful fruit. In other words if we allow God’s presence into our life, read his Word and be guided by Him, we will be nourished and cared for. If we turn our back on God, we will wither and loneliness and darkness will enter our lives. When we follow God, we will prosper. This does not mean we will always be successful and no longer experience life’s failures and disappointments. What it does mean is that we must seek God’s approval in the actions and attitudes we have. We then become like a fruit producing tree and find God’s blessing in our lives at work and in our relationships with one another, as well as more importantly deepening our relationship with God as we see him at work in our lives.

Verses 4 and 5 in this Psalm compare the wicked to chaff on the wind. Chaff is the outer layer that covers the valuable grain inside. Those people that turn away from God will be blown to the wayside. The faithless person will drift along through life without direction, thrown one way and then another. Their lives will be empty and full of darkness, not knowing the righteousness of God. Instead, as Christians we need to become the valuable grain that is useful to God, living a faithful life that fulfils His purpose.

In Psalm 1 verse 6, the Bible tells us that ‘The Lord watches over the righteous’. How amazing and comforting it is to know that God watches over each and every one of us. He knows us intimately. We are not alone in any of life’s hurdles or pleasures. God has us in his hands and helps us in all things. He will draw us closer as we draw closer to him.

It can be a struggle to follow God at times. Yet by following God, reading his Word, listening and talking to him, you will develop an intimate relationship with him. You will find yourself flourishing like a well planted tree that blossoms, producing fruit which blesses not only you but those around you.