Read: Matthew 4:18-25 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers . . . And he said to them, “Follow me . . .” (vv. 18-19) In her book Crossing the Waters, Leslie Leyland Fields explains that “the Greek word Jesus used for ‘follow,’ akoloutheo, means literally ‘to walk the same road.’ It implies companionship, partnership” (p. 209). When Jesus invited his disciples to follow him, he wanted to be not only their leader and teacher, but …

Read: Proverbs 19:1-21 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity . . . and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. (vv. 1-2) “Haste makes waste” the saying goes. Is this as true for you as it is for me? Hurrying often results in a stubbed toe, broken glass, a spilled mess, or forgetting something important. Ironically, trying to hurry a job that requires thorough or detailed concentration often results in work that has to …

Read: Genesis 5 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. (v. 24) Today’s passage details the long lives of Adam’s descendants, who lived anywhere from 365 to 969 years. Enoch is distinguished as the man who did not die and who twice is described as one who “walked with God.” William Cowper (1731-1800) wrote the familiar hymn “O for a Closer Walk with God,” which is based on this verse about Enoch. A respected poet …

Read: Genesis 3:1-21 Walking in God’s Garden They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves . . . (v. 8) Genesis 3 notes the first instance of walking in the Bible, which also hints at how a person lives one’s life. Adam and Eve had walked with God in the Garden of Eden, but after they sinned, they avoided God’s presence. In …