The Most Difficult Word in the Bible

There are quite a few mind-twisting concepts, statements, and words in the Bible such as "propitiation," "sanctification," and "regeneration." If you think those are relatively tame, I challenge you to tackle the book of Revelation.

But, seriously, despite these things, I feel there is still one word not many have thought about as being a difficult word to understand, comprehend, and live out. I am talking about the word "walk." So you respond, "are you kidding? The word 'w-a-l-k' as in 'putting one foot in front of the other?'" Yes, THAT word.

After all, “walking” is referenced well over 200 times in the Bible. The first reference to walking comes as early as Genesis 3:8, where Adam and Eve “heard the Lord God walking about in the Garden in the cool of the evening.” Also, one of the most preached “walking story” of Jesus is the post-resurrection event of traveling along with the two disciples on the road towards Emmaus.

For us, walking is obviously one of the Bible’s most vivid metaphors for how godly people should live. In a positive way, it shows us how to “walk in newness of life” and how to “walk” on the right paths and how to avoid walking along the wrong paths of the world.

Yet, in the end, all this “pedestrian talk” as a Christian, is hard and takes committed effort. It is challenging. It takes great discipline, obedience, surrender and sacrifice. So, the walking that I am talking in this BLOG is about walking with God.

I am talking about having such a deep, devoted, personal, intimate and loving relationship with God that you can truly and honestly walk with your heavenly Father spiritually and physically every moment of your life.

Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:22) as did Noah (Genesis 6:9). THIS is why "walk" is the hardest word to understand. The fact that the Creator of the universe wants to be more than "just God" to me...more than just "up there in Heaven."

One of God's greatest desires is for us to come near...close...even closer. James 4:8 tells us, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you….” Am I willing to get "up close and personal" with God or have I come too comfortable staying at a distance?

May we discover a whole new meaning to the word "walk" when it involves deepening and strengthening our relationship with God. Blessings to you along the journey.

Learn from Lydia

There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith. One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.” Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world. It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion. I think she might have been the only perso...

Tetelestai!

Just before Jesus gives up His spirit on the cross, He utters a very powerful word. The word that He cries out is “ tetelestai” (tih-tellis-tie). When literally translated, this word means, “It is finished.” It can also refer to something completed or accomplished. The word occurs in John 19:28 and 19:30 and these are the only two places in all of the New Testament where it is found. In the John19:28 passage, it is translated, “After this, when Jesus knew that all things were now completed , in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, ‘I thirst.’” Two verses later, he utters the word himself: “Then when he received the sour wine Jesus said, ‘ It is finished ,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Did you know that the word tetelestai was also written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full? The Greek-English lexicon (by Moulton and Milligan) sa...

Accepting Martyrdom

We are still in the season of Easter as we await its culmination in what is known as Pentecost . There is another event in the Church which we commemorate at the forty-day mark of the Easter season where many denominations recall the “ Ascension ” of Jesus Christ. Mark 16:19-20 , “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” This event marked by the Church is also stated in the Apostles’ Creed: “…He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” When Jesus ascended to Heaven after rising from the dead, He promised us that we would never be left all alone here on earth to “fend for ourselves.” We have the Holy Spirit of God always with us. John 14:16 , “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever….” We w...

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