Article - A Worthy Walk

A Worthy Walk

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, -Ephesians 4:1

How are we to properly serve the Lord? Is it merely attending church every once in a while or is there more to it? Does the Lord only require a verbal commitment to him or does he command us to actively serve him? These are questions that the Apostle Paul answers in his epistles. In our above verse it is clear that we are to be engaged in a worthy walk as Christians.

Paul likens our Christian service to a job. The word vocation literally means an occupation or profession. When God’s children are born again by the Holy Spirit, they are pressed into his service. Their vocation is to serve God! Paul thought of himself as the Lord’s prisoner. In other places he calls himself a servant of the Lord. He took his Heavenly calling seriously! He prayed that the Colossian church would, “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God (1:10).” Is this your prayer and desire?

Our primary job in this life is to be about the Father’s business. However, we oftentimes put vain worldly things before the service of God. Does your secular career define who you are? Are you known for your dedication to recreational endeavors? Do your things own you instead of you owning them? All of these things mean nothing in the grand scheme of life. We need to adhere to Jesus’ teaching a seek first the kingdom of God in all things and he will take care of everything else we need.(Matthew 6:33). The things of this world are temporary. Walking worthy of the Lord is far more lasting.

In Ephesians 5:8, Paul instructs us to walk as children of light. Did we get to this state based on our own merit? No indeed! He states that we were sometimes darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. We can walk in light because, “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). The good news for those that are the light of the Lord is that they have the ability to know the things of God. Those of us who have been exposed to Biblical teaching are able to obey God’s commandments and serve him acceptably. Later in chapter 5, Paul writes, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise (v.15).” One who walks circumspectly is spiritually aware of his/her surroundings. All of their decisions in life are tempered with scriptural teaching. When we are walking circumspectly as Christians, we are fulfilling our God-given vocation.

Those of us engaged in secular professions are usually given an annual performance review or observation. Sometimes our compensation is tied to meeting certain standards on these reviews. If you were given an annual review on your service to the Lord, how would you fare? How would you perform in the area s of bible study and prayer? What about meekness and humility. Would you meet the biblical expectations in the area of evangelism? We must realize that we all fall short of God’s standard. However, we must also recognize that our service to God is a lifelong profession that we are to be engaged. May the Lord bless us to better serve him in the days ahead!

Michael Green, Jr. is pastor of Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church (www.palmchapel.org) in Crestview, FL. Palm Chapel meets every Sunday at 10:30am and Wednesday at 6:00pm. Pastor Green can be contacted at (850) 689-3383 or by email at pastormichael@palmchapel.org. Pastor Green warmly invites you to come and worship at Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church.