April 9, 2008
Are You Walking the Walk?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor
Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6, NIV
A few years ago I bought a treadmill for my home. It wasn't the result of getting sucked into a late-night infomercial's claims. No, it was the by-product of some cost-cutting measures.
You see, I had just moved into my first home and had just paid my first mortgage payment. Realizing that something had to quickly go in the ever-dwindling budget, I decided to cancel my gym membership. And thus, the treadmill was purchased so I could work out more inexpensively - and more conveniently - in the comfort of my own home.
For a while, I did what I said I would do and what I said I believed: I walked on the treadmill many times a week, and my health and fitness level were good. But pretty soon, the treadmill became more like a piece of sculpture sitting in the corner. I wasn't walking on it, and it only gathered dust.
My shake-up, wake-up call came many months later at my annual exam with my doctor. She noted that I had gained a few pounds since the last visit and that my cholesterol level was too high. Well, to say I felt like a failure is an understatement. I cried and was upset with myself, because I knew I hadn't done what I said I would do, and I was left with an unhealthy lifestyle and declining health.
I vowed to make exercising and a better diet a higher priority in my life. And now, over two years later, I'm pleased to say that I've kept to my word. I walk (or run) on my treadmill every other day, and I don't have to dust it nearly as much as I used to. Bonus!
A few years before this diet and exercise regimen transformation, though, I had a spiritual shake-up, wake-up call of sorts. After reaching a low point in my life and coming to a crisis of faith, I made a decision: I have to live what I believe... I have to walk with the Lord. Only He can heal me and make me spiritually healthy.
I think I had been "stuck on the recliner" for many years before then, watching others exercise what they believed and seeing them grow in their faith. I wanted what they had, and I wanted to be filled with the joy of the Lord, too. I knew what I needed to do. But I just wasn't doing it. Words + no action = nothing.
Slowly, but surely, the Lord drew me closer. I joined a Bible study and began reading Scripture. I listened more intently to the sermons at church. I began asking questions to older, more seasoned, believers. And God met me everywhere I turned in order to deepen my relationship with him.
What about you? Are you purposefully walking the walk today? Or are you stuck in the "recliner" in your life? If you are willing, God will help you take a step toward the "treadmill" as you seek to truly live in him.
Intersecting Faith & Life: Meditate on this verse-and the blessings from walking with the Lord-from the great hymn, Trust and Obey:
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Further Reading
