Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Walking with God?

I receive these daily devotionals from a ministry called Ransomed Heart.  It's basically excerpts from some of John Eldridges' writings.  He's the guy who authored the book, "Wild at Heart".  Anyway, this one in particular captured my attention today, and served as a good reminder in how we understand the journey of discipleship in our life with Christ.
My reflection in response is at the end of this entry.
 
We take folks through a discipleship program whereby they master any number of Christian precepts and miss the most important thing of all, the very thing for which we were created: intimacy with God. There are, after all, those troubling words Jesus spoke to those who were doing all the “right” things: “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you’” (Matt. 7:23). Knowing God. That’s the point. 

You might recall the old proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The same holds true here. Teach a man a rule and you help him solve a problem; teach a man to walk with God and you help him solve the rest of his life. Truth be told, you couldn’t master enough principles to see yourself safely through this Story. There are too many surprises, ambiguities, exceptions to the rule. Things are hard at work—is it time to make a move? What 
has God called you to do with your life? Things are hard at home—is this just a phase your son is going through, or should you be more concerned? You can’t seem to shake this depression—is it medical or something darker? What does the future hold for you—and how should you respond? 

Only by walking with God can we hope to find the path that leads to life. 
That is what it means to be a disciple. After all—aren’t we “followers of Christ”? Then by all means, let’s actually follow him. Not ideas about him. Not just his principles. Him.   (Waking the Dead, Eldridge)

The question that this entry begs at the end for me is: "What does it mean to walk with God on a daily basis?"  If indeed our discipleship is more than following principles and rules, but following a person, then what descriptors must characterize my relationship with this person we call God (in Christ)?  How do I get beyond the rule/principle-driven Christianity that I was taught early on in my faith journey?  Or more importantly, "how do I respond to the idea that God is my heavenly Father whose character  is reflected in the best qualities of our earthy fathers, but who can also provide and teach us what our fathers didn't?"  To me, to couch the journey of discipleship in terms of a father and son/daughter relationship helps.  That notion helps me become less focused and dependent on the right principles and the rules required to be a good Christian.  It frees me to be in a moment by moment relationship with Father God, who is fathering me in and through all the present circumstances of my life.  And it helps me to see all of the arenas and areas of my life as training ground for God to teach me timeless lessons about himself, myself, and people.

What about you?  How would you characterize your "walk with God?"  What does it mean for you that God is your Heavenly Father?