Reasons why Christians should walk with God
Why should I walk with God?
2. It is all which the Lord requireth of you, for all his love and goodness shown unto you, in creating, preserving, redeeming, and saving you. For what doth the Lord require of you, but to “do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
3. If you walk with God, and keep close to him, you will be sure to go in the right way, in that good old way, which is called the way of holiness; in a most straight, most sure, and (to a spiritual man) most pleasant way, the paths of which are peace; the very happiness and rest of the soul. God teacheth his children to choose this way. And if they happen to err, or to doubt of their way, they shall hear the voice of God’s Spirit behind them, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”
4. If you walk with God, you shall walk safely; you will not need to fear, though ten thousand set themselves against you; for his presence is with you, and for you. His holy angels encamp about you; and while you walk in his ways, they are charged to support you, lest you should receive any harm.
5. When you walk with God (though you be alone, separate from all other society) you still walk with the best company, even such whereof there is most need, and best use. While God and you walk together, you have an advantage above all that walk not with him; for you have a blessed opportunity of a holy acquaintance with God, which is expressed. You have opportunity to speak unto him, praying with assurance of a gracious hearing. Abraham and his faithful servant made use of their walking with God for these purposes. Is it not a special favour that the most high God, whose throne is in heaven, should condescend to walk on earth with sinful man? nay, rather to call up man from earth to heaven, to walk with him? It would be therefore shameful ingratitude not to accept this offer, and not to obey this charge.
6. To set the Lord always in your sight, is an excellent preservative and restraint from sin. With this shield Joseph did repel and quench the fiery darts of the temptations of his designing mistress. For who is so foolish, and shameless, as wilfully to transgress the just laws of a father, king, and judge, knowing that he is present, and observes him with detestation if he so do?
7. To set the Lord always before you, is an excellent remedy against spiritual sloth and negligence in duties, and it is a sharp spur to quicken, and make you diligent and abundant in the work of the Lord. What servant can be slothful and careless in his master’s sight? And what master will keep a servant that will not observe him, and do his commands, while he himself looketh on.
8. Walking with God in manner aforesaid, doth exceedingly please God. It also pleases God’s holy angels. It pleases God’s faithful ministers, and doth please and strengthen all the good people of God, with whom you do converse. It is to “walk worthy of God in all well pleasing.”
9. Thus walking with God, you shall be assured of God’s mercy and gracious favour. He keepeth “covenant and mercy with all his servants, that walk before him with all their heart.” When you do thus walk in the light, you have a gracious fellowship with God, and “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth you from all sin.” There is no condemnation to you who thus walk. Your flesh, when you die, shall rest in hope. For to them that set God before them, he doth show the path of life, which will bring them into his glorious presence, where are fulness of joys, and pleasures for evermore.
Any one of these motives, seriously thought upon by a humble Christian, is enough to persuade him to this holy walking with God.
Notwithstanding, it is sad to consider, how few there be who walk thus. For most men seek not after God, God is not in all their thoughts; they walk in the vanity of their minds, after, their own lusts; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life; walking according to the course of this world, according to the will of Satan, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience; who refuse to return, or to call themselves into question concerning their ways, though God doth wait and hearken for it, no, not so much as to say, What have we done? but every one runneth to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.
Now, concerning all that walk thus contrary to God, God hath said, that he will set his face against them, and punish them seven times; even with many and sore plagues. And if yet they will walk contrary to him, he will walk contrary to them in fury, and punish them seven times more for their sins. And if yet they will walk in impenitency, notwithstanding God’s offer of mercy to them in Christ, St. Paul could not speak of such with dry eyes, but peremptorily pronounceth that their end is destruction.
Weigh well, therefore, these premises; compare the way, wherein you walk with God, with all other ways; compare this company with all other company, and the issues and end of this way with the issues and end of all other ways, and the proper choice of your walk will easily and quickly be made.
Scudder, H. (1826). The Christian’s Daily Walk (pp. 53–56). Glasgow: William Whyte & Co.
