Checking Your Walk

As human beings, we tend to view ourselves with rose tinted glasses, considering ourselves better than those around us.  Sometimes this is even worse among religious people than among the general population, because they make such a big deal about being good.  Many times the same person who is so very religious in church on Sunday has a reputation as someone who can’t be trusted in business.    They are like the Scribes and Pharisees, who Jesus described as stealing a widow’s home while making a big religious show to hide their wickedness, in Matthew 23:14.   “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” 

If we are Christians, there are certain characteristic attitudes, known as the fruit of the Spirit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives.  If we are walking in the Spirit, allowing him to lead, those attitudes will govern how we relate to other people in our daily lives, and eliminating most of the conflicts, as Proverbs 16:7 tells us.  “When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”   I Corinthians 3:3 tells us conflict with our associates is evidence of an unspiritual state.  “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” 

In Colossians 3, Paul addresses some areas of life that many of deal with every day.  Because they are so familiar, it is easy to let ourselves fall back into ungodly habits rather than letting the Spirit guide us in these areas, yet they are some of the most important relationships in our lives.  If we are not allowing the spirit to control these areas of our life, we cannot be walking in the Spirit. 

The first area Paul addresses is the marriage relationship in Colossians 3:18-19.  “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.   Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”  A bossy, complaining wife who demands her own way is in deliberate rebellion against God’s principles as established in Genesis 3:16, and is clearly not walking in the Spirit.  A controlling, abusive, unforgiving, uncaring, or disrespectful husband also cannot be walking in the Spirit.  Conflicts in these areas distract us from serving God and interfere with our spiritual relationship.   I Peter 3:7 warns, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

A second major area that gets neglected is the relationship between parent and child.  Colossians 3:20-21 instructs, “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.  Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”  A parent is responsible for keeping his children safe, because children do not understand the dangers.  God has given him that responsibility and the child ought to respect the authority God has given.  If he does, and the parent has done his job properly, it will result in a long and healthy life for the child.   At the same time, the parent has the responsibility to set the proper example before the child.  A child’s picture of God is largely based on the example his parents, and especially his father sets.  A spiritual parent will be consistently loving and reasonable in their expectations, not angry and capricious.  Ephesians 6:4 refers to this as bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, literally as God directs.   Failure to do so causes them to give up hope of ever being acceptable to either the parent or to God, and they may well reject Christianity as a result.    

The final area Paul addresses is our relationships at work, in Colossians 3:22-4:1.  “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.  But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.   Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.” 

Most of us are employed by someone.  We need to sincerely respect our employers, not just make a show when they are looking.   Whether we realize it or not God has put them in that position and you need to give them your best, even when they don’t earn it.  I Peter 2:18 commands, “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.”  We need to keep in mind that ultimately we are working for and representing God, and that he will reward us accordingly, with no allowances for who we think we are.  Employers and bosses need to respect the work their employees do, seeing that they receive fair treatment and pay, realizing that they also work for God and will be rewarded as they deserve. 

These things are not meant to discourage us, but to be signals that we are not consistently walking in the Holy Spirit.  These areas are especially important for checking our spiritual walk because they are areas we deal with regularly, and problems will show up here before they show in other areas.