Walking With God

We have seen that to walk the right way is both to act justly and to love kindness: to have a life of both right actions and right attitudes. There are three great standards, or signposts, to the right way: the universal moral code, that in-built sense of right and wrong; the rules of the Ten Commandments that have formed the basis of Western civilisation; and the ultimate standard of the one perfect life of Jesus.

Quite simply, though, the universal experience of every human being other than Jesus is that walking the right way of life is too demanding. Who can truly say that they act justly? Who can, in all honesty, admit that they fully love kindness with its three dimensions of love, mercy and faithfulness? And the three standards, even if we treat them simply as pointers to the right way, only make matters worse. If we just take the built-in universal moral code we find that we fail this most general of standards; the Ten Commandments are more severe still; and, against the standard of the one perfect life of Jesus, even the best people admit that they fail.

So have we reached a dead end? Has God simply set out the way and defined the standards on how it should be walked so that we all fail it hopelessly?

Thankfully, no! There is good news – the very best of news. God has come to the road himself so that we can walk along the way of life with him. In doing this he supplies the three things we need.

Firstly, he himself offers us rescue: he has provided a means by which those of us who have lost or left the way can get back onto it.

Secondly, he has personally provided us with a guide for the way through Jesus.

Thirdly, through the Holy Spirit he has himself provided the power for us to walk the way through the Holy Spirit. Without God, the way is impossible, but if we choose to walk with God, we are offered a rescue, help and strength.

So far we have considered how we walk the way of life, but we find ourselves in a predicament. We can recognise the three great standards that act as signposts to the way, but it seems that this is not enough. The problem, ultimately, is not knowing what is right; it is doing what is right. If we are honest, however hard we try, even the best of us find ourselves either drifting off the way or going in the wrong direction entirely. We need help, but the task of aiding us in finding the right road and staying on it is so great that only God’s help will do.