In His Name Devotionals
A SPRING IN OUR STEP
In His Name Devotionals
A SPRING IN OUR STEP
The Christian life is frequently described in Scripture as “walking with” God. It’s not a sprint from the baptistery tank to the pearly gates. It’s also not a spirit-draining marathon that only the hardiest of souls can survive. It certainly isn’t a matter of standing still, letting our feet grow to the pavement. It is a steady walk in a chosen direction—living consistently with our heavenly calling through whatever experiences a lifetime brings.
Does it seem to you that too many of us plod when we could be walking with a lighter step? That we sometimes allow our Christian journey to settle into a dispirited stumble rather than a confident stride?
It’s also worth considering that shallow cornbread Christians, i.e., ever-smiling Pollyannas who deny reality and duck the hard problems are not to be envied. They are bothersome and troubling, to say the least. Positive-thinking clichés spoken through plastic smiles simply won’t cut it in the real world.
Our lifestyle should be filled with godly optimism and Christian confidence – what the Bible calls hope. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God” (Ps. 42:5). “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).
A constant factor emerged among survivors of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam: the ability to preserve hope in the face of severe stress. People without hope see no way to solve problems, so they simply give up. The absence of hope opens the door to anxiety and depression. Optimism is the God-sponsored buffer against worry and stress.
We are all vulnerable to a variety of strains, i.e., illness, job loss, family problems, betrayal, debt—all existing among Christians as well as unbelievers. But Christians have a host of promises to cling to for hope. “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword…No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:35-37).
Are you staggering and reeling? Change your mental focus from pains to your Father’s promises, from life’s difficulties to the ultimate triumph God has secured, through Christ.
Walking with Jesus means letting the world see a spring in your feet? Why? Because walking with a spring in your steps becomes an invitation for someone who doesn’t know Jesus, to fall in behind Him, too. Are you walking with Jesus? Does the world see a spring in your step?
