What is the great object of life on earth? It is the same as it was in the beginning – to walk with God. In the garden of Eden, the highlight of the day was when God came down to walk with Adam and Eve. Sin has not changed that grand object of the creation of man.

We were created to have fellowship and communion with God. Before the flood came, we are told that Enoch walked with God for 300 years and God took him. Then there was Noah, an upright man who walked with God also.

In making the covenant with Abram, God instructed him saying “I am Almighty God, walk before Me … and I will make My covenant between Me and you” (Gen 17:1). God’s promise to Israel at Sinai was that He would walk among them and be their God.

In the New Testament the same term is used. Paul in quoting from Leviticus 26:12 in (2 Cor 6:16), assures us of the unity of the two testaments in regard to man’s ultimate objective to walk with God.

The example of Zacharias and Elizabeth walking blameless in all the commandments of the Lord confirms not only that they were “righteous before God” but also that walking with God was fulfilling the purpose of their creation.

Even revivals in Scripture are defined in the term of walking with God when we read in (Acts 9:31) that “the churches were edified … walking in the fear of the Lord and … were multiplied”.

Finally, our destiny in glory and our activity in heaven is envisaged in the promise “they shall walk with Me in white” (Rev 3:4). So it is important that our lives here on earth must be a walk with God.

It is not sufficient to be able to articulate an experience we may have had – the important thing is, did it bring me into fellowship with God? Has it led me to walk with God each day? It is wonderful to be able to look back to a time when God spoke to us and we began to believe in God. The vital thing is the end result – are we living in the presence of God and is He real to us each day so that we can have fellowship with Him.

What is it to walk with God? It means we must be in complete agreement with God. “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). Two people cannot be agreed, or even have dialogue, unless there is first a relationship of some kind. We do not go for a walk with strangers, only with those we know. Walking together presupposes a unity and understanding of like minds.

When two people are out for a walk they usually do so because they are relaxed, or because they wish to relax. They want to unwind. If we do not feel like a ‘walk with God’, and have no desire to relax in His company, then we are not in a good spiritual condition. There is something wrong if we are not interested in communion with God. A husband and wife in good relationship look forward to such times. In fact it is the best time of the day. To be ‘free’ to confide, to express innermost thoughts and fears and to entrust one’s soul to someone is a wonderful releasing experience.

We are challenged when we think of this harmony and understanding and have to ask ourselves are we relaxed when we come to God in prayer and confession or are we afraid of God? Having the fear of God does not mean we are afraid of Him. There is no person more in the whole world that we can come to for a better and fairer outcome than coming to God through the Mediator Jesus Christ. It is the Christian’s greatest privilege to be able to come without fear to unload his burdens onto a willing Burden-bearer.

We also need to ask ourselves do we know God well enough to spend our leisure time with Him? How do we spend our ‘free’ time? Do we ever decide to give the next half hour to God in meditation and reflection? Does the thought repel us or delight us? Even for those who have backslid, God’s desire to have fellowship with His children is compelling in His invitation to come and ‘sup’ with Him (Rev 3:20).

To ‘walk with God’ is to have the same way of thinking as the Lord. “But we have the mind of Christ” said Paul when comparing men of the world with men of God in (1 Cor 2:16). In writing to the Ephesians he said “you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind” (Eph 4:17).

Our thinking and understanding of sin and righteousness coincide and synchronise with God’s mind and view on these subjects. However much we may fail to maintain the standards of His Word in the way of obedience, there is complete agreement about God’s law. It is because they have experienced the “renewing of their minds” that Christians can discern “what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:2). Do we have the mind of Christ?

Our first parents, because of their guilt, removed themselves “from the presence of the Lord” (Gen 3:8). They did not know the way to God through a Mediator. They were afraid of being in the presence of God.

We now know that perfect love casts out fear. God’s love for us has found a way whereby we can once again ‘walk with God’. Are you walking with God?