Walk Worthy

1 Thessalonians 2:12

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

We are called to walk worthy of God. What exactly does that mean?

Well, from reading scripture, we know it means following His commands. However, does that mean just following His commands sometimes? No! We are to live in a way that we would not be ashamed if others knew. We should not have to put on a show in front of some people. We should not fear embarrassment that others would discover a thought, word, or deed we have done.

Yes, we are sinners, but we must be ready to confess our sins and not hide them. We are to strive for perfection/holiness because that is what we are called to achieve.

1 Peter 1:12-16 KJV

12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

May we all strive to walk worthy of God. May we all strive to follow His commands at all times. May we live a life that is not full of shame and embarrassment at our actions. May we confess our sins to God and others.

Walk in Them

Ephesians 2:10 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We've looked at this verse not too long ago, but I would like to look at it in a different way today. Before we focused on the fact that God created us. Today, I would like to focus on the word, "walk".

What are we to walk in?

      The good works that God before hath ordained.

How are we to know what those good works are?

      By reading and studying the Bible.

One clue we can gather from the verses around this one is that most likely the good works will look different than the world around us. We are to walk in these good works after we have received new life through Christ Jesus.

Walked on Water

Matthew 14:29 KJV 

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

"walked on the water"

I find this so amazing. How exciting it would be to walk on water!

What is deeper, however, is more amaing.

It took great faith on Peter's part to walk on the water. When he took his eyes off his Lord, he began to sink.

This poses a great lesson for us. We must keep our eyes on Christ. We can not let oursleves get distracted by the things of this world. Focus on Christ and always walk toward Him.

Walk in the Way

Isaiah 30:21 KJV

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

"This is the way, walk ye in it." (emphasis mine)

God's Word tells us exactly how we should walk. All we need to do is pay attention and follow His commands.

What I find interesting is that the voice is heard from behind, not in front of us. Most leaders lead from the front, but God doesn't always lead that way. He leads by guiding us gently. He leads even though we turn from the right or the left and are niether in front or behind Him. No matter where we are, we can hear His voice if we listen. He never leaves us; He is always there.

Walk Honestly, part 2

Romans 13:13-14 KJV

13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Luke 21:34

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

chambering - a bed, marriage bed, adultery
wantonness - unbridled lust, promiscuous, offensive sexual behavior
envying - zeal in pursuing something
surfeiting - the "buzz"

I wrote on Romans 13:13-14 before, but I am digging deeper this time.

Envying is often equated to jealousy, however, it can also mean a zeal at pursuing or defending something. This could be having a passion for something so much that it is your focus and you put all other things aside to pursue/defend this thing.

It also speask about not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. Most people automatically think of sexual lusts (which in many cases it is), however, it is really just a desire or longing for something forbidden. God calls us to live for eternity. We are not to be of this world, yet I see many Christians more worried about/desiring for things of this world over eternity. This would be "lusts of the flesh."

We can then look at Luke 21:34. Here ist speaks of the same thing. What I see is the comparison of the "cares of this world" to "surfeiting and drunkenness."

Most alcoholics drinkto drown their sorrows (the cares of this life), but what I want to focus on is that when someone is drunk (or even buzzed), their senses are numbed; they don't think clearly, and they do and say things they normally wouldn't. Doesn't the same thing happen when someone is focused on the cares of this world? They will say mean and hurtful things to their friends and family. They will look down in judgement towards anyone not doing what they think they should be doing. They start accusing others of what they perceive instead of seeking understanding.

We are to put on Christ instead of making provision for the flesh. We are to fulfill Christ's calling, not the lusts of the flesh.

The comparison to thisis Ephesians 5:18,

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

We are to act this way while being filled ith the Spirit. This means we are to pour out love, comapssion, and understanding instead of jusgement, accusations, and contempt. We are to be so filled with the Spirit that He flows out of our mouths.

Walk and Please God

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 KJV

1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

walk = peripotaeo - to make one's way, to live, to regulate one's life, to conduct one's self

Here we are encouraged to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. We know His commands and need to live by them. When we do so, we will abound (have abundance).

We do not need to wonder how to have a better life; we just need to follow God's commands. Wehne we do, we will learn that those commands are there for our good and not to be mean.

Walk Uprightly

Psalms 84:11

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Proverbs 2:7

He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

uprightly=tamiym, strong's #8549
     complete, whole, entire, sound

uprightly=tom, strong's #8537
     integrity, completeness

We are to alk completely with God. We are to give Him our entire life and be completely His.

This means that we can't just trust Him with our eternit, but we trust Him with our present. It doesn't mean that we only spend time with Him on Sundays and Wednesdays, but we give Him every day. It doesn't mean that we only pray when we need something, but we commune with Him always (1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV, "Pray without ceasing.")

We can't just pick and choose God, we must give ourselves completely, wholly, perfectly to Him!

Walk Humbly

Micah 6:8

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

According to my footnote, "walk humbly" can also be translated "humbly thyself to walk". This puts a little different twist on it for me.

Often, we want to do things our way; we want to be in control. Here we are told that we need to be humble ourselves to walk with God. We are not in contorl, instead, we are in commune with God. It also helpus us to understand that to walk humbly is a verb and not just an adverb. We have to do something-humble ourselves.

Other examples of how humbling ourselves is an action are Luke 18:14 and Philippians 2:6-8.

Luke 18:14

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Philippians 2:6-8 KJV

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Since it is an action, how do we go about humbling ourselves? Here are some ideas from Kyle Idleman in his book, the end of me.

• To humble myself, I voluntarily confess sin.

• To humble myself, I give sacrificingly and anonymously.

• To humble myself, I treat others better than myself.

• To humble myself, I ask for help. 

[H]umbling yourself is not beating yourself up or believing you should be treated poorly.

Would you add anything to the list of ways we can humble ourselves?

Walk in His Truth

Psalms 86:11

Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Walk in His truth.

What does that mean? It means to remember His promisses and to walk in them. It means to fear Him and not things of this world.

Psalm 86 is full of the truths we need to remember and walk in.

• God is good (all the time!)-verse 5
• He is ready to forgive-verse 5
• He is mericful-verse 5
• God hears our prayers and attends to them-verse 6
• God answers-verse 7
• There is no other god-verses 8 & 10
• He is great and does wonderous things-verse 10
• He delivers souls from hell-verse 13
• He is full of compassion, gracious longsuffering, merciful, and full of truth-verse 15
• He gives strength-verse 16
• He helps and comforts-verse 17

Walk Worthy

Colossians 1:10-12 KJV

10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father,

Walk worthy.

Be fruitful to good works.

Increase in knowledge of God.

Strengthened by His might.

Be patient and longsuffering with joyfulness.

Give thanks to God.

It seems so simple, yet it is difficult when we let our flesh and the world get in the way.

I desire to walk worthy. I need to look to Him and seek His strength.

Ephesians 4:1-3 KJV

1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We are to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called."

I am thankful that Paul goes on to tell us how that looks.

lowliness = humbleness

meekness = gentleness

longsuffering = persevering with patience

forbearing one another in love = holding each other up with love/taking care of each others/ supporting each other lovingly

endeavouring to keep unity = doing as much as we can to be unified but also realizing it will take the Spirit to help us.

I have the tendency to turn things like this into a checklist of how I am to live, but that is not the intent. This is a guide for us. In the end, it can't be just about how we act, but it is an heart issue. These actions need to come from a heart that loves God and loves others. If we are just worried about how it looks externally then we truly aren't walking worthy of God's calling on our lives.

Also, notice that all these things can be done by everyone. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, if you have a job outside the home or if you keep the home, or even if you have lots of friends or just a few. We can all walk worthy if we have a heart that truly loves God.

Walk With a Heart of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Remember when I wrote about how we are to walk in love? I discussed things that Christ did that are examples of walking in love; however, I now see that we could do those things, but if our heart isn't right, they would mean nothing. We can do all the "right" things, but if our heart isn't doing them out of love, then they mean nothing.

I don't want to be like an empty vessel. I don't want to be all talk and not walk.

Lord, Help me have a heart of love. May I live with love towards You and others. May my actions be backed by love for others and not love for myself. Help me go against the way the world says and live how You call me to live. It will take true love to withstand the opposition of the world and I pray that Your love would be in me.

Walk Together

Amos 3:3

Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

At first read, my mind goes to a marriage relationship. A couple will not be successful unless they are in agreement with one another; they must be one.

However, A.W. Tozer puts it in the context of our relationship with Christ. "[W]e cannot walk with Him unless we are agreed; and if we are not agreed, we will not walk with Him in harmony and fruitfulness and blessing."

How can we be in agreement with Christ? We must cultivate the relationship! We must spend time with Him. We must seek His discernment. We cannot experience His power and revelation without being in agreement with Him.

Walking with God Will Include Suffering

1 Peter 3:17

For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

1 Peter 4:19

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

I wrote in the past about how we need to walk the path God has for us and that our path isn't going to be the same as someone else (Walk Your Path). We see here in these verses that sometimes the path He has for us may include suffering.

We may wonder why God would will us to suffer. Isn't life supposed to be better with God?

Well, do we think we are better than Christ? Christ was perfect yet endured much suffering. If we expect to not suffer, then we think we are better than Christ.

Also, if Christ suffered for us (taking on our sin and the punishment of death), then is it really too much for Him to ask us to suffer for Him? No! We should be willing and ready to suffer for well doing.

Besides, God will use our suffering for good (Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.).

We see how God will do this in:

1 Peter 2:12

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

1 Peter 1:6-7

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 4:16 

Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Our sufferings may lead others to Christ. They may strengthen our faith or the faith of others. And above all, our sufferings give glory to God.

The next time I am enduring suffering for doing good, I need to remind myself that it might be God's will. I shouldn't ask why, but instead give Him glory for what He will do through it.

Walk Before Him

Genesis 17:1b

walk before me, and be thou perfect.

God was not telling Abram that he needed to be perfect as we understand the word. "Perfect" means upright or sincere. He was telling Abram to walk the best he could. He was to live as God has called him to live.

God desires to walk with us on our journey in life; however, He can't be among a willingly sinful lifestyle. We are to put aside and depart from evil and strive to honor God in all things.

Walk Honestly

1 Thessalonians 4:12

That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

Romans 13:13

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Here we see we are to walk honestly. What exactly does that mean? At first thought I believe it means to walk in who we are; we must be honest about who we truly are. However, it also means, "decently."

This means we are to treat others well. We are to treat them as we would like to be treated. The Romans passage tells us what it is not. It is not causing problems. It is not walking after fleshly lusts. It is not causing issues being envious.

Do you struggle to walk in who you are? I know this is one area that I struggle to walk.

Walk in Wisdom

Colossians 4:5

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

Here we see that we are to "walk in wisdom." But not just to do it, but to walk "toward" others.

We are to live our lives in ways that those who don't know Christ will see Him through us. WE must not give them occasion to increase their negative thoughts of Christians or God. We must not give them influence over us (1 Corinthians 15:33-Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners), but we must be an influence over them. We must redeem the time by sharing Christ with them through our actions and words.

Walk in Truth, Light, and Love

2 Corinthians 10:3

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

God created us with bodies/flesh, but that is not who we truly are. We have souls and the Spirit of God dwells in us when we accept Christ's shed blood for our sins. However, we still need to live with our bodies until we are called home.

Just because we must walk in the flesh does not mean we must give in to the flesh. We "war" against fleshly desires with the truth of God. We war to walk in truth, light, and love.

Walk in His Commandments

2 John 1:6

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

The Bible is full of information on how we should walk. Here we are told to "walk after his commandments."

What are His commandments? Well, there are the ten commandments, of course.

Exodus 20:1-17 KJV 1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

If you think about it, these all relate to relationship-relationship with God and others.

Christ also tells us in Matthew 22:36-40, the two great commandments.

Matthew 22:36-40 KJV 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Even the Ten Commandments can be summarized in these two.

When we walk in His commandments, we are showing love to Him and others. This is what we should strive for!

Walk in Peace

Ephesians 6:15

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

This verse doesn't say to "walk" a certain way (or not walk), but it does tell us how to prepare our feet. Whatever is on our feet will affect how we walk.

We are to have the gospel of peace on our feet. We are to always be ready to share the gospel of Christ. We are to live peacefully with all men (Romans 12:18, If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men) as much as we are able and still follow God's commands.

Christ spread peace wherever He went and we should strive to do the same. May we walk in peace!