A Worthy Walk

Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy. —Colossians 1:10-11

Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s has probably seen the “Wayne’s World” skits or movie starring Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey. When Wayne and Garth talked about a celebrity they really admired, they would pretend to bow and repeat, “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!” It was funny, but always made me a little uncomfortable too. People really do make idols out of celebrities.

Yes, talent is worthy of admiration, but in the end, a pop song, a touchdown, a movie, or a dance routine are all just fleeting moments of excitement. They are not what really gives life meaning and they are not worthy of worship.

Jesus taught in Matthew 4:10 that God alone is worthy of worship. And because of our sin, we are UNworthy of His grace. We could never live lives pure enough to stand before Him on our own merits (Roman 3:23; 6:23).

But the Bible also says we’re to “walk worthy” of the Lord. If I’m unworthy then how do I walk worthy?! And what does it mean to do so?

Sometimes when our kids leave the house we remind them of their last name. “Remember, you’re an Atkins (or a Smith or a Johnson)!” It’s a parent’s way of saying: Don’t do anything to dishonor the family. Behave in a way that’s worthy of that good name. 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 says, “we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

That’s part of what it means to walk worthy of the Lord. If I’m a Christian I am wearing His name. I shouldn’t do anything that would reflect poorly on Him. But when you really look at the scriptures that refer to a worthy walk, it seems to involve more than just avoiding bad behaviors that could give Christianity a bad name.

The “walk worthy” passages in Ephesians 4 and Colossians 1 exhort us to be humble, gentle, longsuffering; to endeavor to keep unity and peace; to be fruitful in good works; to grow in knowledge. As if that weren’t challenging enough, going back to that “walk worthy” context of 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 14 tells us that the Christians in Thessalonica were willing to suffer persecution. In contrast only a few Christians in Sardis were counted worthy to walk with Jesus; the rest of that church had a good reputation but were spiritually dead (Revelation 3:1ff). (Perhaps they were going to church every Sunday but their hearts were really given over to singers, actors, and sports heroes. Gulp!)

Walking worthy of the Lord is going to mean humbly and actively serving and sacrificing, sometimes even suffering persecution. The Christians in Acts 5:41 rejoiced “that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”

Now, for me, all of that only underscores how unworthy, how not up to the task, I really am. If you feel the same, may I offer you two points of encouragement?

In Romans 8:18 Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

God says it will be worth it! His word shows us that you and I are worth it to Him. His love for us gives us value, or worth, that we can’t and don’t have to earn.

Secondly, don’t miss the last part of Colossians 1:11. The key to walking worthy is that we, unworthy as we are, can be “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.”

Yes, we are called to “walk worthy of the Lord.” But the One who is worthy of worship is willing to help us walk worthy of Him and to make it worth it, whatever the cost.

Dear Father in Heaven, I thank you that, as unworthy as I am, you loved me enough to give Your Son to die for me. Help me to turn away from the worshipful pursuit of worldly things and help me through Your power to walk in a way that is worthy of the name of Jesus. In His name, Amen.

by Christie Cole Atkins