Psalm 93:1 “The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.”
The sovereignty and power of God is evident all around us, from the magnificence of the universe to the incredible complexity of the atom, the Lord has displayed His power at every level of reality.
In the midst of a glory far beyond our ability to reason you’ll find the sovereign Creator stooping into the midst of our depravity and connecting with us where we are.
Walking in the company of Jesus has been made possible through the Cross of Calvary. Jesus was willing to step down from a position of eternal glory into a sublime position of weakness. The admiration and awe that a follower of Christ experiences while walking with Him is made real by the unifying power God has given to those who seek Him.
Jeremiah 32:37-38 “Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be My people, and I will be their God”
Delight in the Lord
Walking with God is a act that is often encouraged but seldom illustrated in practical ways. The idea that we can actually have a personal, daily relationship with the Lord is foreign to many people of various faiths. To interact and receive direction, strength, and power, while confidently walking in His peace is a promise the Lord gives to those who trust Him.
Psalm 104:33,34 “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord.”
The perfect example of what a godly life looks like was exemplified by Jesus. The patterns Jesus demonstrated are ones we see as being effective in relationships, in having a proper mindset about life, and demonstrates characteristics that make for peace.
5 years ago NC state University published a list of 10 elements that make for strong relationships.
*Commitment *Love and Affection *Positivity *Communication *Shared Activities *Friendship *Healthy Conflict Resolution *Support *Empathy *Trust
The characteristics of strong relationships have been demonstrated for thousands of years, and yet many expert think they have uncovered something new. Look carefully at how the Word of God demonstrates these characteristics as being of God.
*Commitment: Psalm 37:5,6 “Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.”
*Love and Affection: Psalm 31:23 “Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person.”
*Positivity: Psalm 130:7 “O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance.“
*Communication: Ephesians 6:18 “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”
*Shared Activities: John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
*Friendship: James 2:23 “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.”
*Healthy Conflict Resolution: 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
*Support: Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”
*Empathy: Psalm 139:1-3 “O Lord, You have searched me and known me, You know my sitting down and my rising up, You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.”
*Trust: Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
Do you notice any patterns in how we relate to God and how God relates to us?
What stands out to me is how God does most of the work in our relationship with Him. We seem to be always making the mistakes and He is the one showing all the mercy. He reaches out first and we respond. He remains steadfast, we change like the tide.
Growing in Relationship
There is also a tremendous amount of blessing that comes with fostering a healthy relationship with God. Peace, love, security, protection, just to name a few are the rewards we reap when we place our trust in Him. Consequently, the rewards He gives continue on into eternity.
From an earthly position we really don’t have any power or authority but within the relationship the Lord allows us to control much of the progress by which it grows. We can either develop it and grow in understanding and love, or we can forsake our relationship with Him and watch our lives plummet into darkness and despair. There really seems to be no other good choices. This reality of God’s provision and support is what makes me have pity upon those who seek truth in mankind will find there will never be fulfillment.
It’s so easy to maintain a mindset that pressing forward by our own strength is the only solution. Some people have said that “If your not moving forward, your falling back”. It is these little ideas that create anxiety in people when the time comes to evaluate your life and you don’t feel your making any progress, and yet the Word of God reveals a different perspective:
Isaiah 26:8 “Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You.”
Psalm 38:15 “For I wait for You, LORD; You will answer, Lord my God.”
Psalm 39:7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.”
Walking with God sometimes looks more like waiting upon God.
If you don’t know which way to go, wait until He shows you! If you truly want the Lord to lead you can’t get impatient, there is a reason why He is keeping you where you are.
It is in those times of learning to trust is where we often times find the greatest amount of clarity—then when it’s time to move, we should not be dissuaded by anything that catches our attention along the way.
When the Lord leads someone along the path of life, nothing will be able to hinder His preordained plan.
How do we know if we are walking in the company of Jesus?
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”
If Jesus is in you, you will exemplify the traits of Jesus.
Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
The Spirit of God manifests His presence and purpose as you walk in Him. You can see the attributes of God manifest in the life of a believer who is deliberately submitting to God’s Spirit in their life.
How do we test ourselves?
2 Corinthians 13:4 “For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.”
The power of God is made manifest in the life of believer and the test of whether God is actively leading is revealed by the fruits of His Spirit.
The power of God is demonstrated in a multitude of ways, this is what makes the church so interesting—different people exhibiting the attributes of Christ in different ways.
One way that God exhibits His majesty is through the people who are walking in Him.
Good people do good things because God is Good.
U.T. 