He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8. ESV)
“A good walk spoiled” is usually attributed to Mark Twain’s assessment of the game of golf. No doubt there have been moments when you agreed with this sentiment.
Most golfers have had those downright depressing days on the golf course that they might describe as “what might have been!” You’ve found the “zone.” Everything seems easy! You are closing in on a superb round. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, you yank it into the hay. Three shots later, you finally rediscover the fairway.
Recently, a dear friend reported that he had finally broken par on the front side, only to say further that he shot 48 on the inward nine—35/48-83. Yikes! That, indeed, is a “good walk spoiled.”
Not unlike other sports, golf provides a host of subjects that stir great conversations. One of which is the ongoing discussion about “walking versus riding.” Some are radically committed to walking, carrying their bags, and continuing the purist tradition.
Over against this position are those who make a case for time management by riding. This devotional doesn’t intend to adjudicate between these two sometimes deeply entrenched positions.
We want to focus on “walking with God.” When someone inquires, “how is your walk?” A large part of me wants to respond with, “don’t you mean—how is your stumbling, bumbling, falling, getting up again, marathon going?”
Scripture is chock-full of stories about men and women who “walked with God.” From the patriarchs to the apostles, we see a cast of characters who are called to walk before God.
Thankfully, we also get to observe their ups and downs and their falling back and pushing forward—we see a “cloud of witnesses,” who stumbled and bumbled in their faith journey.
We read these stories with awe and wonder. We also read these same stories with bafflement and befuddlement. How can Abraham continue to make the same mistake? How can Peter be so obtuse? How can David make such egregious choices?
Talking about airing dirty laundry: David’s adultery! Abraham’s lying! Moses’ anger! Jacob’s deceitfulness! Adam’s blame-shifting! Elijah’s self-pity! Peter’s bravado! Paul, of course, just summed it all up by saying, “I am the chief of sinners.” On and on it goes. Yep! God just hung every bit of it on the biblical clothesline for all to see. Why?
It certainly wasn’t to embarrass anyone. And there is more here than we can cover in a daily devotional. Undoubtedly, one of his primary reasons was to “convict the world of sin” through narrative. Like the most significant biblical characters, we fall far short of God’s uncompromising standards.
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Upholding a moral standard is critically important for the honor of God and the credibility of our testimony, for sure. But acting as if we are without sin is plain silly!
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Perhaps the chief reason was to encourage all his followers that following the King in this great adventure of faith doesn’t require perfection. Perfection, as you well know, was achieved by only one.
That is precisely why Jesus is the Savior of the world. The impeccability [sinlessness] of Christ is no small matter. Our entire salvation depends on his perfection. This is why the grave could not hold him. Death had no right to him. The “wages of sin is death.” He had none! So, “up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o’er his foes….”
Upholding a moral standard is critically important for the honor of God and the credibility of our testimony, for sure. But acting as if we are without sin is plain silly!
Prayer- We are sinners in need of forgiveness. Teach us to walk humbly with you.