For many people, living a life that is worthy of God seems like an impossible goal. And yet it is what is expected of Christ’s disciples. Fortunately, the Scripture gives us some clues on how to do this, including this passage from Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae.
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way. (Colossians 1:9-10 NIV)
The starting place for living worthy is to know what God wants of you. If you don’t know what he wants, what chance do you have of pleasing him? And Paul’s prayer for this church acknowledges that and starts off with a request that God would make his will known to this body, through the wisdom the Holy Spirit brings.
Do you want to live in a way that is worthy of God? A life that pleases him in every way? Then the place to start is in prayer, asking that God would reveal his will to you. And if you are sincere, I am convinced that he will. Unless he wants you to fail, which I have a hard time believing.
Of course, you do need to listen to his response to you. And that can sometimes be hard to distinguish from the other noise and voices surrounding us.
And you also need to follow the direction he gives. That also can be challenging. Especially when it disagrees with what I want to do and/or be. And when his will does not coincide with mine, which is often the case, I am left with a choice: please God and walk worthy, or please myself.
Living Worthy
How to be worthy in three easy (or maybe not so easy) steps:
- Make it your heart’s desire.
- Seek God’s will for your life.
- Be obedient to the instruction he gives you through his Spirit’s voice, his word, or wise counsel.
