How’s Your Walk With the Lord Today?

Scripture:

Heb. 3:12 Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
Heb. 3:13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Heb. 3:14 For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.

Observation:

The temptation to turn away from our walk with the Lord has always been present.  The world has continually tugged at the hearts and lives of those who have committed themselves to serving the Lord.  Knowing that there were those who had unbelieving hearts, the author of Hebrews exhorted brothers and sisters in Christ to be accountable to one another.  Today and every day we are to encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.  The accountability to others within the community of faith was important, for it is in this walk with the Lord we have become partners of one another and partners together with Christ.  In this we must hold firm in the midst of the barrage of the culture. 

Application:

John Wesley set up accountability groups for those who were a part of the Methodist movement.  They met on a regular basis and they asked one another some very tough questions about their spiritual walk.  It was in this setting that they encouraged one another spiritually, but also held one another accountable for their behavior.  They literally asked one another how they were doing in their spiritual walk.

Many churches adopted the practice of Sunday School with the intent of following the model developed by John Wesley.  However, instead of being places of accountability the Sunday School has mostly become a place where we listen to the lessons prepared and presented.  While this is good and we need to learn more from the word, the lack of accountability is of great concern.  What happens to us when no one ever asks us, “How’s your walk with the Lord today?” Or, is it possible that we are not asking the question of others because we certainly would not want anyone to ask the same question of us!  To become this open and transparent about our walk with Jesus Christ might lead us to a place in which we do not feel comfortable.  And why might we be uncomfortable?  Could it be because we are not in the place spiritually that we ought to be?

To be quite honest, I need people to ask me the question.  My life can become consumed with the work that I do and the busyness that follows.  However, at the end of the day my relationship with Jesus Christ needs to be my top priority.  I want and need people to hold my feet to the fire and ask me the tough questions that may, at times, make me uncomfortable.  I need to be exhorted today and every day by others within the community of faith.  For this to happen we may need to intentionally seek out others who are willing to ask us the tough questions, who exhort us and pray for us daily so that we remain confident in Christ. 

Whether your accountability group is one you meet with physically, or virtually, we all need to be partners together in this Christian walk.  It is not meant to be something that happens on its own.  Instead, we must seek out others with whom we are willing to be honest.  We must answer the question today and every day, “how’s your walk with the Lord?”

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for those who are willing to ask me the tough questions.  Please help me to be honest and transparent so my heart remains turned toward you.  Amen.