WALKING BEFORE, AFTER & WITH GOD

By Joe Slater

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to
Abram and said to him, T am Almighty God; walk before Me
and be blameless'” (Genesis 17:1). God had great plans for
Abram. He would make a great nation of his descendants and
give them the promised land of milk and honey. Eventually the
Savior of mankind would appear through the lineage of Abram.

With such great promises came great expectations. The Lord
wanted Abram’s faithful, obedient behavior. Since Christ is the
fulfillment of the promise, and Christians are heirs of the promise
(Hebrews 6:17), God also expects us to walk before Him and be
blameless. The Lord sees all that we do and knows all we say or
think. Knowledge of His presence should encourage us to be
confident and motivate us to refrain from sin, knowing we cannot
hide from Him.

Walking “after God emphasizes faithful obedience a bit
differently. God, through Moses, told Israel: *You shall walk
after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His
commandments, and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and
hold fast to Him” (Deuteronomy 13:4). They were to follow
God’s leading, not that of the false prophets in the previous verse.
Likewise, we must walk after God, rejecting the false ideas of
men. None of this is new! People who love God have always
endeavored to do His will. Scripture gives credit to two men who
“walked with God” – Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Noah (Genesis
6:9). They lived in harmony with God’s will and enjoyed close
fellowship with Him.

Walk before God! Let the knowledge of His presence
courage and motivate you. Walk after God! Follow the leading
of His word. Walk with God! Live in harmony with His will and
enjoy His fellowship!