Day 20 – Walk In Christ
What does it mean to walk in Christ? It means to understand the gifts God has given us spiritually, and to live so that those gifts are expressed in our lives. This isn’t always easy to get, so here are some examples:
We are Forgiven in Christ (Col 1:14). God assures us that our past sins are forgiven because Jesus paid for them on the cross. This can be walked out in two ways:
- I need to forgive people who sin against me or offend me. We have all experienced the pain of someone hurting us unnecessarily. Since God has gone to great lengths to forgive us all of our sin, He wants us to do the same to others – we walk in forgiveness. In fact, according to Mk 11:25-26, it is commanded.
- There will be times when we sin. When this happens, we are to go to God, confess our sin, repent (turn from it), and trust Him for continued forgiveness. This is also part of walking in forgiveness. (1Jn 1:9)
We have unity in Christ (Jn 17:21). We have been brought into unity with our Creator God in Christ. This is how He desired it from the beginning, and went to great lengths to achieve it. Walking in unity can also be accomplished in two ways:
- I need to cultivate my relationship with God, so I can understand His ways, His purposes and His desires. He brought me into unity with Him, and I need to act on that unity, doing what I can to maintain it through prayer, meditation, Bible reading, etc. (Ps 73:28)
- If I am unified with God, and you are unified with God, then you and I must be unified as well. My job is to maintain that unity. I need to live my life in such a way that I don’t drive you away from me, but allow us (and others) to work and live together in harmony. This is not always easy, but is necessary. (Eph 4:1-3)
We have victory over the works of darkness in Christ (Col 2:15). If this is true (which it is), I should live as if I have victory over the works of darkness. When I am tempted to sin, I should declare, “I don’t have to sin – I have been freed from sin and its power.” And then we should walk away from it.
Of course, all this sounds simple, but it isn’t always. But as we grow in our walk with God, it does become more natural.
Consider:
Take time to look through the previous list of the benefits of being in Christ, and see how you can walk in them.