WORTHY OF HIS CALLING | Northstar Church

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.. – Colossians 1:9-12 (ESV).

In Colossians 1, Paul encourages the church at Colossae to live Christian lives. He also prayed for and praised them for their spiritual growth, but he also indicated that they should strive for even greater things. There was still room for improvement.

Paul’s words to the Colossians apply to us today. Christians must always want to accomplish greater things for the Lord. Many of us have grown through the ministry of the church. We learned to serve the Lord in the various ministries and outreaches of the church. But like the Colossians, we have not yet completed everything God wants us to do. It is vital for us to keep on progressing spiritually and not “plateau” if we are to be worthy of His calling.

To be worthy of His calling, we must make choices that reflect God’s heart. To reflect God’s heart, we must have a teachable heart: we must be willing to listen to Him and change our direction if we are heading the wrong way. An illustration of this quality is found in King David. Even though he messed up royally, his repentant heart drew near to God. Even with his less-than-perfect life, God calls him “a man after His own heart.”

Walking worthy of the Lord means continually increasing your knowledge of God. Because a worthy walk is a lifetime pursuit, increasing your knowledge of God is also a lifetime pursuit. A Christian can never say, “I know enough. I have arrived. I do not need any more. I can rest on the knowledge I have.” God always has more to teach you. You will never exhaust the depths of His Word. You can never know enough about your God. And then living by God’s strength.

When Jesus was asked what’s the greatest commandment, He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39) They go together. You can’t love God without loving your neighbor. James says it’s not an either-or situation. We don’t earn our salvation by doing good works. Salvation is a gift from God; salvation is something He gives freely rather than something we earn.

If we want to be worthy of our calling, we need to love God and others.

Discussion Questions:

What does worthy of our calling mean to you?
Paul exhorts us to walk (or live) in a manner “worthy of your calling,” meaning to live in a way that reflects who we are in Christ. How do you do that on a practical basis?