“That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10)
Revd. Sidney Elijah Adenaike Ph.D
September 3, 2023
One of the prerequisites for living a life pleasing to God is to ‘walk’ worthy of the Lord. The word “worthy” has the idea of “matching up”. Your actions should match your words, and your outward presentation and expressions should match your inward convictions. This requires the utmost best from you.
“Worthy of God” means to ‘walk’ in a way that is consistent with Lord’s commands, not in a way that we take to mean as such. We ‘walk’ worthy of the Lord when we conduct ourselves in a manner that pleases Him.
As a Christian, your daily conduct and lifestyle (Words, thought and deeds) should not only be good, but be worthy of the Lord. You must act in a way that fits the immeasurable value of our Sovereign God, His transcendent and glorious nature, the infallibility and inerrancy of the Gospel and your glorious calling (read Thessalonians 2:12; Ephesians 4:1).
Hebrews 11:6 says: “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” So, the call to ‘walk worthy of the Lord’ is a call to ‘walk’ by faith. The opening Scripture above is Paul’s ageless intercession that spans centuries and continues to be relevant and indispensable for all who abide in Christ and trust in the Lord with all their hearts even today. Paul prayed that we who profess Christ would ‘walk’ in a manner worthy of the Lord and live our lives to honour and glorify His Name. He prayed for Christians to not only have intellectual knowledge, but the kind of spiritual knowledge that will be the controlling and motivating power in every aspect of life. Paul did not want us to be like those mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:7-9 who are: “ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” or even those who “resist the truth.”
These were men who loved to gratify their own lusts over and above pleasing God. Every man was eager for what he could get, and anxious to keep what he had. These were men who neither feared God nor regarded their fellow man. They were haughty and arrogant men and women who were full of vain pride and did not regard the Word of God as the sole authority. They always placed their own will and their own way above that of God.
The Apostle Paul’s phrase, “walk worthy” in Ephesians 4:1 and Colossians 1:10 is used in the KJV and NKJV to instruct believers about the spiritual benefits of ‘walking worthy’ of the Lord. The NIV’s translation uses the phrase “lives a life worthy” The ESV reads: “walk in a manner worthy”. What is being stressed is “worthiness” before the Lord.
Believers have the obligation to conduct themselves honourably in their community. Jesus said: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)
This means that you must please Him in all aspects of your life, ‘bearing much fruit in every good work and increasing your knowledge of Him’. Walking in a manner worthy of the Lord is walking moment-by-moment in obedience to Him and in intimate fellowship with Him. God takes pleasure in your obedience when it is motivated by your love for Him (Exodus 19:5). Our Lord Jesus said in John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will keep My Commandments.”
Your obedience to God should be the motivating force that drives you to worship and serve Him diligently. You must consider your position in Christ and in the Royal Priesthood, and your glorious heavenly calling in your daily ‘Christian walk’. It is of great importance to always remember that you have been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous Kingdom of Light and have been adopted as heir of God, joint heir with Christ and inheritor of His Kingdom (read Acts 26:18; Romans 6:16–18; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Colossians 1:13). Walking worthy of the Lord is to glorify Him always and in everything you do.
One aspect is to remain sexually pure. The Bible says: “Flee sexual immorality! … glorify God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). You must turn your back on sexual immorality and any temptation to commit sexual sin. Sexual immorality is dangerous and deceptive. Your words, actions, character, emotions, behaviour, ethic, relationships, and every aspect of your life should reflect the glory of God.
To ‘walk worthy of the Lord’, you must first be spiritually healthy and strong - faithful, righteous, peaceful, blameless, merciful, and humble. God desires all His children to ‘walk’ in righteousness and harmony with Him.
To know God intimately you hear His Voice regularly, share your heart with Him, and always seek to please Him. You must have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) and allow His Spirit to guide you through the narrow way that leads to His Kingdom. Turn away from the broad way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Let your motive and goal be to please God in everything you do in life, ‘walk’ worthy of the Lord - in love, purity, peace, and faith.
The Scripture teaches that God created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7) and commanded us to: “Do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to Whom belong the glory and the Dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11)
You will ‘walk’ worthy of the Lord when you conduct yourself in a manner that brings glory and honor to God. Always remember that you are serving an Omnipotent and highly exalted God Who is worthy to receive the highest honour that befits His supreme greatness: Revelation 4:11 says:
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
God calls all believers to glorify Him in and with their lives (1 Peter 4:10–11). Christians are saved through faith in the atoning work of Christ (Sola fide). In this regard, it is most appropriate for believers to glorify God by their faith. An example of this faith is Abraham. He trusted God’s promise (of a child) and did not waver through unbelief. (2 Corinthians 1:18–20; Romans 4:19–20). What really pleases God is not how well you know His will, but how well you do it. With that your life becomes a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.
The knowledge of God’s will be acquired through the careful study of God’s Word and meditating on it. The knowledge of God’s will and compliance with it affects every choice and decision of life. It will bring about change in your character and conduct until you are fully conformed to Image of Christ. Paul told the Colossian Christians the reason why they needed to know God’s will: “that you may walk worthy of the Lord.” (Colossians 1:10)
Therefore, by extension, Paul urges all believers to walk in a manner worthy of their calling. It is essential for you to know that the purpose of discerning God’s will is to conduct your life in a way befitting your position and identity in Christ.
You will be able to ‘walk’ worthy of the Lord if you depend on on His glorious Might. You are not competent to do any work for God in your own strength, but in the Power of God’s Might (Philippians 4:13).
As you rely upon the Lord, at His Throne of grace, you will find the mercy and help you need. As you rely on the Lord for strength, He will grant you other resources needed to live for His glory. You will then be able to resist temptations and endure trials as they come (Ephesians 6:10, 11).
In the natural world, fruit bearing signifies that a planted tree is healthy (Genesis 1:11–12). In the Bible, the word fruit is often used to describe a person’s outward actions that result from the condition of the heart produced by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us a starting place: the fruit of His Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
First, you ‘walk worthy of the Lord’ by bearing fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:10). Good works are understood to be anything done in faith for the good of others and the glory of God. It finds expression in serving neighbours with the humility and love the of Christ, treating them with gentleness as well (Matthew 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:12). In fact, this is why a believer is chosen and appointed by God: to bear much fruit and to love one another (John 15:16-17). The world around you must hear the gospel that you proclaim and see the Light of Christ that you beam. The more you allow the Holy Spirit free rein in your life, the more this fruit is evident (Galatians 5:16, 25). Jesus told His followers:
“I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16).
The fruit of the Spirit is the product of a godly life connected to Christ, abiding in Him (John 15:4-5). The fruit of the Spirit includes the attitudes, conduct, actions, emotions, words, and habits that are produced in a believer’s life by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Christ told us in John 15 that God wants us to bear much fruit. Jesus said:
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples.” (John 15:8)
‘Walking worthy of the Lord’ means that you continually bear the good fruit as a disciple of Christ. Again, when you continually bear the right kind of fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:10), you are ‘walking worthy of the Lord’.
Humility means that you see God and others as more important than yourself. You take on a lowly position. Jesus, of course, is the perfect example of humility (Philippians 2:1-11). Pride and humility are in opposition to each other. God honors you when you are humble because you subject yourself to His guidance. God will be delighted to teach you His way because of your humble heart (Psalm 25:9).
The surest way to learn humility is going the way of Christ – serving others. You should use whatever gift you have received from God, with all the strength God gave you, to serve others, as faithful steward of God’s grace (1 Peter 4:11).
“No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.” (1 Cor 10:24)
You must seek the good of others, by making lifestyle choices for the good of others you glorify God. In other words, God is glorified by your wholehearted service to others, and especially by your service to fellow believers in His household.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” (Mark 10:45; also read James 4:10)
‘Walking worthy of the Lord’ involves continually praying, giving thanks and offering joyfully praise to God, for what He has done for you in the past, what He is doing for you presently, and what He is going to do in future. Thanksgiving in all circumstances is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:17- 18).
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His Name.” (Psalm 100:4)
When we come to God in prayer, we should be in the attitude of thankfulness, because we have so much to be grateful for. A Christian’s responsibility is to encourage others to show gratitude and appreciation to God because He is the Source of our lives and the Core of our being. David said:
“We are His people, the sheep of His Pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)
You must pray in Jesus’ Name in order to give glory to God. The Bible says:
“Whatever you ask in My Name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).
According to the psalmist, we enter His gates with thanksgiving by “serving the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2; see also 1 Peter 4:8–11). The apostle Paul expressed his gratitude in service:
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord Who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” (1 Timothy 1:12)
With that Paul expressed his gratitude to the Lord Jesus for giving him strength and counted him worthy to serve Him. You can also thank God by singing worship songs with thankfulness or singing psalms in His praise for instance, Psalm 34:1; Psalm 103:1 or any other suitable psalm.
Expressing thankfulness to God means that you recognize Him as the Sovereign God, Who is worthy of your thanksgiving, honor, and love. It shows that you recognize your total dependence on Him and the fact that He controls everything going in the world with His infinite wisdom, mercy, and grace (2 Corinthians 4:15). The Bible teaches us in Colossians 3:15:
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (also read Colossians 3:16-17)
Your worship is an important activity that ascribes all glory to God alone. You can glorify God in many other ways, but nothing delights God more than calling on His Name with sincere hearts and giving Him what is due to Him. It is most appropriate to honour God in everything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31), but in worship we focus our attention only on God.
The Bible is filled with commands to give thanks to God (Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; 1 Chronicles 16:34). Most verses go on to list reasons why we should thank Him, such as “His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:3), “He is good” (Psalm 118:29), and “His mercy is everlasting” (Psalm 100:5). Thanksgiving and praise always go together. You cannot adequately praise and worship God without also being thankful. God wants you to be thankful for all the gifts He has given you (James 1:17). Without gratitude, you will become arrogant, haughty, and self-centered and ascribe your achievements to your own strength. You will ignore or deny that everything you have is a gift from God (John 3:27). The Bible teaches that thankfulness keeps our hearts in right relationship to the Giver of all good gifts.
Human beings are prone to covetousness and tend to focus on what is not there. When you start thanking God for the things you have taken for granted in the past, your perspective will instantly change. You will realize that you could not even exist without the mercy and blessings of God.
You are to be thankful not only for the things you like, but also for the circumstances you do not like. You must thank Him for His unfailing promise that says:
“All things will work together for the good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Praise the Lord with your lips. “My lips will glorify you” (Psalm 63:3). God is pleased with the sacrifice of praise – the fruit of your lips:
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess His Name… for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15–16; see also Romans 11:33–36).
The best use of our tongues is to give praise to God.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
Having an “attitude of gratitude” naturally adds to your spiritual and physical health. Let this be a foundation upon which your daily life is built.
Many of us are quicker to receive from God than to thank Him (read Luke 17:11-19). Thanksgiving and praise are the master key that opens the door of blessings of heaven. When you are grateful to God, He blesses you in return. A person with a grateful heart presents first gratitude and thanksgiving to God before any prayer list. Giving thanks to God keeps the heart in right relationship with Him and averts a host of harmful emotions and attitudes (Philippians 4:6–7).
The fastest and surest way to God’s Heart is through praise and thanksgiving. Have you ever thought of why God loved David so much and called him a man after His own Heart? David knew the importance of praise, thank, and worship to God. In Psalm 116:12, David said:
“What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?”
What could David give that God did not have? The answer is thanksgiving.
Beloved, cultivate the habit of thanking God with a grateful heart. Start today, tomorrow may be too late. May God accept your thanks and praises in Jesus’ Name. Amen!
The sacrifice that is considered the greatest gift is to offer yourself (Romans 12:1). God is honored when you give Him the fruit of your lips. Even though humans measure their giving by material value, nothing compares to giving yourself.
In the above passage, praise is related to sacrifice. A sacrifice is something you give that is of value to you. Therefore, your praise must be a fruit of your lips. When you invest your time, talent, and energy in praising God with a grateful heart, you are pleasing Him.
Real and acceptable praise is offered to God continually regardless of circumstances. Praise must flow continually from a worshiping heart in good and bad times. (Acts 16:23-25). We demonstrate grateful hearts and faith when we praise God despite the storms in our lives (Malachi 3:13-17; 13:15).
Help rendered to other people in cash or kind, any sharing with others, God considers as a sacrifice to Him and is pleased.
Patience is endurance, putting up with one another, bearing with one another, and showing tolerance for one another. A patient person is described as one who has a long fuse. Anyone exhibiting tolerance instead of anger is patient, slow to anger or longsuffering (Exodus 34:6). As a fruit of the Spirit, patience provides you with the ability to respond slowly to any kind of provocation.
Keeping the unity of the Spirit captures your total effort at living with each other in Christ. As far as it depends upon you, you strive to protect, honor, and live in the atmosphere of peace provided by the Spirit in the assembly of believers. The unity of the Spirit is that bond of peace provided for between believers by Jesus through the cross (Ephesians 2:14-18). You must do your best to keep the peace.
Beloved, you must therefore conduct yourself in a manner that befits the honor of your new identity in Christ. You must realize that your manner of life is worthy of God only when it pleases Him in all things. Revelation 4:11 gives an important revelation about God:
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
God created all things for His pleasure and will be pleased with your daily Christian ‘walk’ if you ‘walk’ worthy of Him. You must surrender your will to His Sovereign will and drop any habit that is unpleasant to Him.
In some Churches today, you may find many unregenerate indulging in a false feeling that God is pleased with their elaborate religious rituals and offerings or their ostentatious display of piety. But the truth is, what really pleases God is a life that imitates Christ. It is the practice of following the example of Jesus Christ:
“He that follows Me shall not walk in darkness.”
These are the words of Christ for us to meditate on. Thomas à Kempis explained the imitation of Christ, which is the fundamental principle of the spiritual life, thus: “Without the Way, you cannot go; without the Truth, you cannot know; without the Life, you cannot live.”
In order to please God, you must despise the vanities of the world, avoid pride, be obedient and humble. God is well pleased only if you know His will and do it.
Almighty and Everlasting Father, we pray that every step we take each day on our paths and pilgrimage in the world may be worthy of our calling. May Your Light shine on us and Your Spirit move our emotions and our will to always please You. May our hearts keep singing your praise with unspeakable joy as the angels are doing in the realms of glory in heaven. May Your Presence grant us health, strength, purity, confidence, and victory in all spheres of life. May we live to pray, praise, and glorify Your Name always. Loving Father, cause us to increase in Your Knowledge and bear the right kind of fruit for Your Kingdom.
In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen!
N.B
The views expressed here are solely mine. I believe they reflect the teachings of the Bible, but I am a fallible human and subject to misunderstanding. I thank you for your feedback.