Walk Like An Egyptian, er, I mean Christian

Do you remember the song "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles? To walk like an Egyptian you had to...

Slide your feet up the street bend your back

Shift your arm then you pull it back

Life is hard you know (oh whey oh)

So strike a pose on a cadillac

We usually know how to walk like an Egyptian, walk like a monkey or walk Frankenstein but what does it mean to walk like a Christian? In many passages in the New Testament, we are urged to walk like a Christian (Eph. 4:1; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12; 1 John 2:6). But just what does walking like a Christian look like? Is it merely reading the Bible, praying and going to church meetings? It will include those things, but walking like a Christian is so much more than that.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul instructs us to walk or live out our lives in ways that honor Jesus because we love Him. Here are the five areas that He lays out in which we should live out our lives in ways that reflect Jesus so that we will 'Walk Like a Christian".

Ephesians 4:1 Walk in integrity

Integrity has been defined as who you are when no one is watching. This is the point that Paul seems to be getting at here in Ephesians 4:1ff. Far too many Christians walk or live a lifestyle of hypocrisy instead of integrity. In this passage, integrity includes humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance love, diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Every Christ follower should be living/walking out their lives with such integrity.

Ephesians 4:17 Walk distinctly

The way we live/walk should look differently than the world lives/walk. As you read Ephesians 4:17ff, you'll begin to see that Christians have been renewed and now have a new life and new, brighter morales, that should stand out from those who are not Christians. Our walk should be full of being others centered, love, service and hope.

Ephesians 5:2 Walk in Love

Here we find a central element to the Christian walk, namely, love. We should be selfless, sacrificial and sold out to be exhausted for the cause of Christ as we love others. Jesus set the example of great love for us (Phil 2:1-18) when He gave Himself up for us (Ephesians 5:2).

Ephesians 5:8 Walk in Light

When we walk in the light or ways that are pleasing and represent Jesus, darkness will be extinguished. We are told in Ephesians 5:8ff to not participate in unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead, expose them. This is exactly what light does, it gets rid of darkness and exposes those things that soil our souls. Walking in light brings greater joy and safety to the world we live in.

Ephesians 5:15 Walk as Wise People

It is very easy to walk in unwise manners which simply means doing the things that we want to do instead of those things we know are from God. Paul teaches us to 'be careful how you walk', there are many traps that would have us fall into their pits if we would walk in our own wisdom. Ephesians 5:15-21 give us some fantastic guidelines to consider as part of walking as Wise People.

So there you have it, five guidelines to be lived out as we Walk Like a Christian!

What do you think? I'd love to interact with your comments or questions.