One way in, one way out

It seems that nowadays they deliberately design buildings to have just one way in and out. The days when homes sported both a front and a rear entrance are passing into history. Whether it is a single property or blocks of properties, the fashion seems to be one way in, one way out. It reminds me of the Lord Jesus Christ and His description of Himself in John’s gospel chapter 10, as the genuine Shepherd who enters the sheepfold by the appropriate gate. The entrance and the exit are carefully guarded and the gatekeeper makes sure that only authorised staff have access to the sheep. The “thief and … robber” who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” gives himself away by climbing over a barrier somewhere else and sneaking in.

The news is full of the dark and dishonest dealings of those who try to worm their way into our trust but then take advantage of us. Often this concerns money, but there are spiritual counterfeits too. They offer us ways of looking at life which seem believable but lead only to destruction. The Saviour aims to protect us from those who steal and kill and destroy. We should welcome Him and thank Him for looking after our well-being, because it will benefit us for ever.

We need to be on guard for our own safety. We need at the same time to keep others safe by showing them the one and only way to God that will work for them. As I write this, we are less than a fortnight away from a big week of outreach that our church is running in the town of Leigh. We seek to meet as many of the public as we can, by doing street work in the centre of Leigh and putting on various family events at church. It is certain that during the week we will encounter many people who simply do not know the way - do not know how to walk the world in spiritual safety. It is our privilege to show them that there is a means by which they can be kept safe: putting their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. We can show them the benefit: like sheep who feel secure in a sheepfold, they can safely find pasture to nourish themselves spiritually. Those who are constantly exposed and unsafe are spiritually starved. They do not have the time and the leisure to discover the proper food sources and make the best use of them. So I thank God for just one way in and one way out - one way to be safe, one way to be secure, one way to flourish. I trust and pray that many in these days will find that way, to their own joy and to God’s praise and glory.

Out walking

The day I can go out for a short walk is the day I know I am starting to recover from illness. It is a good feeling, first of all, to progress from being confined to a hospital bed to taking a few lumbering steps, perhaps attached to tubes. Of course there are those who cannot manage even that. You trust there are compensations for them in other ways: appetising food, loving care and attention, the sense that they are still valued members of the community, perhaps the comfort of Christian ministry by the bedside.

But God has blessed and provided me with healing and I have progressed from those first few steps to gradual strengthening, discharge from hospital and the point where I can take the fresh air and walk outside a bit further each day. It may not be much of a walk the way some people see it. I am not one of these fitness fanatics who routinely step out for five miles each day before breakfast. But to know I’ve walked at least some distance is the measure of whether I have been truly alive this day.

In the Bible, the life you live is your walk. In Bible translations that stick close to the original there are some 200 references to “walk”. Often our walk is described as being “before God”. He never fails to observe our daily conduct. In Genesis 17:1 God introduces Himself to Abraham and commands, “Walk before me and be blameless” (ESV). A misguided person may walk the wrong way. In 1 Kings 16 a wicked king walked in the sins of a previous ruler who set a bad example. Some strong-willed people walk in the stubbornness of their hearts. The apostle Paul tackled the problem of work-shy busybodies who walked “disorderly”, 2 Thessalonians 3:11 AV. Many walk “in darkness”.

But back to our real theme: good walking before God. Again, God sees it and notes it down. There are those precious ones of God’s people for whom what counts is faith in Jesus Christ, not ritual. Romans 4 describes them as those who “walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had”. You can’t go wrong if you walk by faith! Whose footsteps will you tread in today?