Walking

“I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”  3 John 4

Walking – As any eighth grader can tell you, “i-n-g” words mean continuous action.  When John talks about walking, he means all of the motion and action of life.  He uses this Greek participle (peripatounta) to describe everything that goes into our moment-to-moment existence.

John says that this is the best news in the world for him.  Nothing tops it.  So, what does he mean when he says that these special followers are moving about in the truth?    Does he mean that these followers had the right doctrines or the right catechism?  Well, maybe, but certainly much more than that.  Knowing the right things does not make obedient followers, as most of us clearly understand.  When we look at John’s gospel, we get some very big clues about “walking in the truth”.  Truth for John is much more than correct knowledge.  It is personal involvement.  “I am the way, the truth and the life” is not about espousing the creeds.  Truth for John can only mean one thing – living a life completely absorbed in Christ. 

Walking around life can be anywhere doing anything.  It is not “spiritual” life in opposition to “everyday normal” life.  You can walk in the truth on the job, at school, in the car, playing golf, shopping or drinking coffee (well, maybe not coffee. Ha, ha, just kidding).  Oswald Chambers reminds us that when we really live life completely devoted to Him, we become unconscious of our spiritual connection.  It is as normal as breathing.  In fact, if we are constantly faced with the question, “Is this what Jesus would have me do?”, we are probably not fully absorbed yet.  We are still in the shallows of my utmost for his highest.  It is near the surface that life presents the dilemma of disobedience.  But every time we obey, we settle in a little more until one day we suddenly discover that we feel so naturally at home with Jesus that we just walk as we should.

Lately I have noticed my own ego resurfacing.  I get some glorious days when I am diving in the truth of God’s care and direction.  Things just sort of flow in the Spirit.  Then along comes an air bubble of self.  If I am tired or lonely or frustrated, I start to follow the air bubbles rather than paying attention to the wonders of the deep.  Pretty soon I get the bends.  Time to get down below where the pressure is just right.  Under God’s thumb.   It is the squeeze of His love that keeps me alive.