Randy Sprinkle makes a good link between prayer and walking the Christian life - "Prayer is not incessant talking to God but unceasing walking with God." As he goes on to say later prayer is more about being with God than it is just talking with God. Both ideas seem to echo the same refrain. Walking in the footsteps of Christ. Which brings me to another aspect that I thought of this morning as a read over today's study. In 2 Peter 2:21 Peter writes to a church in the middle of suffering and pain yet he writes something that today's Christian seems to forget about the intimacy in walking with Christ. His words tell a truth that we often need in this life: "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps." Dr. Greg Harris writes several observations of this text that seem to give it real life. "We must follow on His path, not concoct our own. We are to follow, not to lead. The emphasis is on what He did, not what we do, and it will remain that way throughout the remainder of eternity..." He goes on to point out another factor that is astonishing to me at least. Footprints in the plural means a line of footprints, such as when a hunter follows his game. "Footprints is a literal term, not a figurative one. A difference exists between following in someone's footprints versus following in someone's footprints. 'To follow in someone's footsteps', means to emulate or aspire to some aspect of that person's life...Literal footprints, however, give a different emphasis. Not only are these "footprints in general" but the footprints of Jesus." You do not "follow upon" footprints by standing still. You must move forward...it is more than mere knowledge of Jesus...it is experiential knowledge gained in the walk itself. He finally says, "You will only walk upon the footprints of Jesus; you never out-walk them...You will recognize His footprints; they are the ones stained with blood, as He heads for our cross...they are the ones that have your name written all over them."
May Jesus teach us to walk!!
