For years we had been told that jogging is considered the best way to both keep in shape and lose weight. In more recent years walking is now considered better than jogging in that walking gives us all the benefits of jogging without the negative physical impact of jogging. On occasion Sharon and I can be seen walking around New Brooklyn park endeavoring to get the heart rate up as well as to burn some calories and keep the blood circulating.

Now walking is not simply walking! Oh no, there are a variety of ways to walk. There is the walking for exercise, the walking of necessity, there is the casual walk, and the leisurely walk while chatting with a companion. There is the explorative walk—in a museum, or through a garden, or deep in a cave, or bird watching in the woods. A walk in the mall is quite different from a walk in downtown Philly that is altogether different from a walk in the woods. Actually we use different words to describe these various walks—strolling, meandering, sauntering, tramping, hiking, ambling, and so forth.

Going for a walk may sound simple enough, but where and how you walk is crucial. How would your walk be if you took a long walk off a short pier? Walking through Philly means dodging other walkers, looking both ways before crossing a street (and looking again and again as you cross!), avoiding dark alleys, and skirting a variety of barricades, delivery trucks, and street vendors.

A walk in the woods could be just as hazardous. Brambles, briars, and poison ivy await the uninitiated. Forks in the path can lead to dangerous and unexpected detours. Insects, snakes, and other creatures of the wild can be uninvited companions.

The image of walking as it relates to the Christian’s journey through this life is replete in Scripture. In his first letter John informs us that we can walk in the light or we can walk in the darkness. Walking in darkness can have tragic consequences. A parishioner in Sea Isle City was visiting friends in upstate Pennsylvania and got up during the night. He mistook the basement door for the bathroom and tumbled down the steps. Some months later he died from his injuries. As we walk through this world we face spiritual hazards, dangers and detours corrupted by sin. In 1 Peter 5:8 we read, “your adversary walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The dangers of walking in the city or walking in the woods come with the territory. Likewise there are dangers for the Christian believers as we walk through this life.

In this letter John is serving as a kind of travel guide for our walk of faith, providing us with everything we need for a successful journey with God. John makes it quite clear that there is a choice and there is a clear and obvious difference between walking in darkness and walking in the light. The main distinction is that you cannot walk in both darkness and light at the same time. It is physically impossible to do. Of course the spiritual comparison is that walking in the light is walking according to Jesus and walking in darkness is walking without Him.

In verse 7 John delineates 2 results of walking in the light that you do not get from walking in darkness. These results are 1. We have fellowship one with another. This means that we have friends—not just acquaintances but friends. Some years ago a young couple came to our church. They had little church background and some years later he told me. Before knowing Jesus the friends we had were only acquaintances, but now we have real friends. Fellowship is more than a good time with other people. Christian fellowship is deep, abiding, caring love and concern for one another—making friends of God’s people.

The second result of walking in the light is this: “the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” Think about this statement’s impact on you: every lie, every lust, every word said in anger, every theft, every wrong action including that sexual encounter with the guy/gal at the office, the person you hurt or even killed in that car accident (your fault or not), the time you cursed God, that abortion, when as a child you allowed yourself to be violated by a family member or friend, or when you violated an innocent child, the time(s) when you abused your wife, or when you verbally destroyed your husband….all this and more is washed away, cleansed by the blood of Jesus!

What do we get? Forgiveness, freedom, salvation from each and every and all sin. No condemnation when you walk in the light of Jesus. Guilt, regret, remorse, shame, no inner peace, blame, anger, misery, and all the other emotions that hold us captive and bind us in their chains.

God’s promise to us is that as we walk the walk, God will walk with us. David expressed it this way, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (the ultimate fear), I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.” The walk God calls us to walk is not always easy, but He calls us to walk in the light because He is there to walk with us and to guide our every step.

Thank You for Taking The Time to Read This Message.
May God Use These Words to Help You and Strengthen You.