Don't Get Distracted by the Bright and Shiny!

Thanks to all of you who watched my first vlog! I had such a great time doing it, I am sure you will see more. If you missed it, click here.

The idea of walking with God has captured my attention. If you asked me about my journey with God, I would tell you that I have be "walking with God" for the past 30 years or so. But as I feel God spurring me to focus on "walking" with Him this year, I am looking very carefully at these words.

I am reading through the Bible this year. And a few days ago, I was in Genesis 5. It is an easy chapter to skim through and even skip. It's the one with all the genealogy. But sandwiched in the middle of the sleeper chapter is this wake me up section:

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5: 21 - 24

Another version says, "walked steadily." What makes this so thought provoking is that none of the other people mentioned in this chapter talk about their "walk" with God. My commentaries support the idea that walking with God denotes a constant relationship in which pleasing God and communing with Him are the focus. 

The point: This is not your usual walk. This is not a leisure stroll in which you look at everything along the way and even get distracted by something bright and shiny (as my intern would say.) This is a walk with intention, with deliberation, with focus. This is a walk with one goal: to please God, and God alone. Sure sometimes God may call us to slow down, to rest, to ponder. But we are still following His lead.

So, now I ask myself the question and I am asking you as well:  How long have you truly walked with God? 


Unfortunately, I cannot say 30 something years. There were many years where I strolled at my own pace. I chose my own path. Other times I was easily distracted by the things of this world - other people, money, goals, success, myself. And certainly I spent many years under the destructive spell of a desire to please others. 

So, what about you? Are you "walking with God?" Or does your walk look more like a leisure stroll or a zig zag path led by the distractions of this world? Are you more interested in God's approval or the approval of others?

Lord, we need You. We need You to walk with us and show us how to walk with you. Focused. At your pace. For Your pleasure. And You alone.

Desiring to walk with God,

Kelli

Are We Willing?: My First Vlog and Guest Posting at KIP

Come join me over at Keeping it Personal today where I am guest posting... my post goes along with the vlog.  It's titled... NO EXCUSES! (this is the link) 

So, friends, following hard after Christ requires sacrifice. Are we willing? Would love to know your thoughts today...comment here or over at KIP.

I'm ALL IN...are you?


Kelli


Linked up with Stephanie at One Word Wednesday

My One (or Two) Words for 2012

Ok, I am back from a semi-break from blogging. I have managed to post blogs the last few weeks, but they have been reposts of some faves that some of you might have missed. Thank you for the break. Between holiday activities and family needs and frankly, my own need to rest and rejuvenate, the time was necessary.

But I am ready to get going again! I have spent the last week pondering this year of 2012. How would it be different from 2011? What lessons have I learned? What do I want to continue? To put aside? What do I need to work on? What is the Lord calling me to do?

Lots of people in blog world do resolutions. I always evaluate my former year and look to the next year (or years), but I rarely call my "goals" resolutions. Other people come up with "one word" for the year ahead. As I began to pray and ask the Lord for goals or "one word," two words consistently emerged. As I struggled with going against the grain and having two words instead of one, I remembered (miraculously!) that these two words stem from the same Greek word. Before you call me heady or smart or quit reading, let me explain.

Thirteen years ago when I was in seminary, I took three semesters of Greek and I LOVED it. (Please keep reading!) But after ten years of not continuing to pursue Biblical Greek, most of the words have escaped me. But there are some that I remember...the rest I have to constantly look up.

Anyway, back to the two words. The word "live" was the first word to come to mind as I was praying about 2012. Live. Just live. Live for Him. Live graciously. Live unselfishly. Live audaciously. Live spontaneously. Live radically. Yes, live was my word.

And then on Sunday, January 1, as I sat in church and celebrated my 32 years of knowing Jesus Christ, the word "walk" continued to surface. "Should I change my word, Lord?" "Is it walk instead of live?" Walk in it. Walk with Me. Walk, even though you don't know the path.

As I pondered this, the Lord brought the Greek word "peripateo" to my mind. I remembered (again, miraculously) that this word was used to mean BOTH live and walk in the New Testament.

When I looked up some verses where this particular verse was used, it was no surprise that Ephesians 4:1 was present. Just a month ago, God had given me that verse as a potential new direction for a project I was working on. And here it was again. No surprise. 

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to LIVE a life worthy of the calling you have received." (NIV)

"In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up in here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk - better yet, run! - on the road God called you to travel. (Message)

What does this mean for me? There's no more sitting. No more watching. No more dreaming. No more letting fear bench me. It is time to "peripateo." It is time to truly LIVE and WALK out my calling with my God. 

So, what's your "one word," your goal, or your resolution for 2012? I would love to hear. Let's hold each other accountable!

And if you want to read something funny, I am guest posting over at Tammy Karasek's blog, "Tickled Pink Tammy." Here's the link: A Lesson for Life, Literally.  Would love to have you jump over there and join us! (you can give comment love here or there!

Living and Walking,


Kelli

Walk In It : eMpowering Mondays

I just have to say, GOD IS GOOD. 

I have just returned home from the women's retreat I told you about on Friday. God was wonderfully present, amazingly powerful, and extremely purposeful. His gifts were too many to count. But I am going to try to unwrap them for you so that you can share in them, too. 

Three words stuck with me personally all weekend. I shared them with a few people, but mainly tucked them deep in my heart for myself and asked God to continue to unfold their meaning for me.

WALK IN IT.

photo credit: St. Stev on Flickr

Walk in what, God? Walk in your footsteps? Walk in a door? Walk in peace? Walk in love? Walk in what, God?

WALK IN IT.

Since the end of March, I have been memorizing and meditating on the rich verses of Ephesians 3: 14 - 21. 

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. 

These first five verses have permeated my very being with the vastness of God's love for me. How this kind of love beats out every bit of head knowledge I have about God's love. It is a heart thing. This love fills us up so much with God's heart that we don't NEED anything or anyone else. So hard to comprehend this. But I try.

Then I began to get excited about the last two verses. The idea that MY GOD IS ABLE. That His work is immeasurable. That He is not limited to my queries or my imagination. And He uses us to accomplish His work because He has empowered us with the kind of power that raises the dead! He is able and He is glorified.

I used these verses when I spoke to a church in Caracas, Venezuela in May. At a Kids Camp in June, I spoke on these same verses. And then again, at Bethesda Baptist's Homecoming Service, just a week ago. God has planted me here in Ephesians 3 and hasn't let me leave for some time now. But this weekend, it was the three words.

WALK IN IT.

Still not knowing exactly what this meant, I decided to do a word search for walk in the New Testament. Of course, with that word being so common, there were lots of references. But the Lord had me land on this one:

I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. (Message Version)

You know where these verses are? Ephesians 4: 1-6. Yes. The very next verses after the ones I have been planted in for six months or more. I think that God wanted me to realize His great love for me and believe that He is able...before I could walk on this road He has called me to travel.

I've got my bags packed, God. Full of your love and power, I am ready to WALK...EVEN RUN IN IT. Help me to run with humility and discipline, not allowing the enemy to speak lies of inadequacy or condemnation. Let me pour out myself on behalf of others. Let me walk in it with You at my side.

Do you know the vastness of His love for you? Do you know that He is able to...? And are you walking in His calling for you? Stay tuned...we will talk more about this on Wednesday. Please comment and allow me to pray for you.

Unwrapping the gift of walking in it,

Kelli

Linking up with one of my favorite groups...