Walk This Way
April 14, 2012
One of my favorite questions to ask when I teach a concept is, “What would that look like?” To phrase it another way, “How can I live out this truth in my life?” Because our heart’s desire is to pour “Words of Worth” into your lives, we often blog about our words and how to use (or not use) them as we go about our day and business. But what would it “look like” to walk out what we are learning about God’s Word? How can we “WALK the TALK?” Over the next several weeks we will be writing about walking – not the calorie burning kind of walking, although that’s not a bad idea either, but “walking in a manner worthy” of Christ. Can we truly “walk the talk” we say we believe?
Fortunately for us, the Bible rarely gives commands without also showing the way. In the letter Paul wrote to the Colossians, we find a perfect prescription for how we should walk as believers no matter what the calling is on our lives. It is interesting to note how often Paul urges the recipients of his letters to walk when he himself was bound by chains. Perhaps because he no longer had the freedom to walk, Paul was compelled to implore them to watch and guard the way they took. In Colossians 1, we find these words and a very vivid picture of what it looks like to walk in a manner worthy of Christ.
“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Colossians 1:9-10
Before we even start to pursue what walking worthy will require, I want you to notice how these verses begin with prayer. Paul and some of his fellow workers are praying diligently for the believers at Colossae. Your first step in a worthy walk is to have someone praying for you. No matter what you claim as your profession or ministry calling, your job is most likely a monumental part of your life. And unless you are working alone in a top-secret laboratory or living on a desert island, you are most likely surrounded by other people who are watching you as you go about your day.
To live your life and live it well, (meaning of course to the glory of God) you need spiritual strength and the support of someone who will come alongside you in prayer. Find a friend, a co-worker, or a family member to commit to pray for you to walk in a manner worthy. Ask them to echo Paul’s prayer for the believers in Colossae – for you to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
See you back here next week – and be ready to go walking! (ct)