Walking in His Ways
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. (Psalm 128:1)
The Bible often uses the concept of the “way of the Lord.” “Way” literally means a path to walk in, and it depicts the lifestyle we adopt.
The ways of the Lord begin in the heart with worship. To acknowledge Christ as Lord, to grasp His worthiness, to love Him in response to His love for us — these are the first steps of walking in His ways. Once I say to my own heart that God is worthy of my worship, that Christ is worthy of following, then I am set to walk in His ways.
Praise and devotion must be expressed outwardly in obedience. If we love Him we will obey Him. “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
Humanity seems to fall into one of these two traps — to praise and do nothing else, which makes our praise empty and shallow. Or to dismiss praise as unimportant and just go directly to obedience, which guarantees that our obedience will be done in some level of resentment. Though we all lean one way or another, we all need both — heartfelt love and worship followed by genuine and practical obedience in life choices.
I continue to see these clever statements such as “Obedience is the purest form of praise,” or the reverse thought, “Our praise is the purest form of obedience.” I believe the thought behind these types of expressions is an attempt to show the connection between praise and obedience. But, in my opinion, these merely muddy the water, depriving the action prone ones among us of meaningful praise and discouraging those more prone to praise of actually doing something for Christ.
The two sisters in the Bible, Mary and Martha, seemed to typify these attitudes — Mary the sensitive worshiper and Martha the practical doer. As Martha complained to Jesus that Mary just sat at the feet of Jesus and did not help her with the practical matters of getting the house ready for their important guest, Jesus said:
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chose the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41–42)
Worship and praise are the weightier matters, and we must follow the ways of God first in our hearts. But an honest assessment of the two sisters would admit that they both had their problems. The Marys of the world must also serve, as James wrote: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).
What are your weaknesses? Which way do you lean? Toward worship or toward practical serving? Keep it clear in your heart and in balance in your life. Worship God wholeheartedly, praise Him excitedly, but also obey Him extensively.
