Devotionals for the Heart: Walking with Jesus Christ through life

Walking with Jesus
A devotional by Nanci Rubin

I like the fact that Jesus addressed this statement in Matthew 6:34 (KJV). He said, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

It is wisdom for then that is still applicable for today. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we do know Who (God) holds tomorrow!

Many years ago, Cristy Lane performed the song, “One Day at A Time.” It was and still is, a Christian mantra. Books have been written about walking with Jesus, not ahead or behind, but with Him. Songs have been sung but it all boils down to is the fact that we need to wait upon the Lord. There are benefits when we do.

Isaiah 40:3 (KJV) has this to say about waiting upon the Lord: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

It's evident that when we wait upon Him, He will be there with us. We will be strengthened by His counsel and will excel in whatever we endeavor to do.

It is so easy to fall into doing things on our own without seeking God’s counsel.

I have to admit, I’ve been guilty. Every time I’ve made a critical decision without consulting my Father (God), nine times out of ten, I end up in a mess or gravely disappointed at the outcome. We should wait for His voice to bring us peace and not step out in uncertainty. Those who wait and listen for what the Bible calls, God’s “still small voice,” will reap in abundance for doing so.

Read 1 Kings 19:12 (KJV). It’s the story about when God spoke to Elijah in a small voice. The Bible verse reads, “And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”

Sometimes, when we hear God's still small voice, we don’t like His answers to our questions. Often, we may want to do or have a thing that’s not the best for us. Or we simply can’t wait.

Let’s say you have questions for God about a job you applied for. It’s exciting and you’re going to make a lot more money than you were making, but this job is going to require you to work on Sabbath. God might have had another job for you that would allow you to have every Sabbath off. The salary was a little less but your health benefits would be better. That is an example of when we need to trust God’s will and wisdom more than our wants. God is very thorough and thankfully He can see beyond today, that is why we must trust Him with every aspect of our lives. He cares for the life of a sparrow, how much more does He care for us?

Let’s read Matthew 10:29-31(KJV). It says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

I don’t always love the lessons I’ve had to learn. But they were ALL my own doing and ALL because I didn’t wait on the Lord and decided to take matters into my own hands. A wrong decision made today might very well affect your life twenty years from now. It is always best to seek God’s counsel and not always trust your own.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV) says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Following the footsteps of Jesus and trusting Him with all your heart as you lean on Him is not an easy path. One is ever learning to trust God and the road to Heaven is truly narrow with many distractions along the way. We fall down. But we get up, dust ourselves off and began walking with Jesus again.

We have a Father (God) who loves us and will never love us more or less than He already does, no matter what we do. God loved us from the very beginning and He’ll love us through the end. When we fall and scrape our knees, He is right there, ready to pick us up and cleanse away the hurt and pain no matter what it is or how we got ourselves into trouble.

God does expect us to repent of our sins on a daily basis. He is ready to forgive you before you ask, but do ask Him to forgive you still. Pray to God on a daily basis. You need to keep the lines of communication between yourself and God open, so that you don’t feel distant or separated from Him.

The devil would like nothing better than to isolate us from God and each other because he wants us to be defenseless against his fiery darts. We need to stay prayed up, communing with God daily and assembling ourselves with other believers of like mind. Read Hebrews 10:25.

Given all the above, let us hold tight to God’s Hand and walk with Him through the hills and valleys of this life here on Earth. Don’t look too far ahead, but journey through this life one day at a time with Jesus Christ by your side.

Remember: God has promised to never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) because He loves you with ALL of His Heart! Be encouraged, friends. God will be with you to the very end (Matthew 28:20).

~*~
Author Bio:

Nanci is a poet and short story writer published in Cypress News, Family Times E-Zine, Free Verse and the Commonwealth of Poetry. 

She belongs to RWA, ACFW, and Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild where she’s enrolled in his novel writing program.

Nanci lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and cats, Romeo and Juliette, along with their newest member of the family, Roni who is a seven-month-old Goldendoodle.

Recently, Nanci completed her debut novel, A Betrayal in Cross Keys. It is an Amish romance that she has placed in her agent's capable hands. The rest is up to God.