Category: Living Worthily

Ephesians 1:22 (NIV)
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

To live a life that is worthy of God also means that we now live relating with God as his church. The church is the body and the bride of Christ. So, the way we relate with the Triune God is by being his church; in the way we worship together, love God together, live out God’s mission together, and in how we love one another. This is the way we relate with the living God, and this is what living worthily is. This is the joy of Christian living: to live belonging to his church, participating in the life and rhythm of the church, to living out the calling the Lord has given his church. That’s why belonging to the church and being part of God‘s people is so essential.

“Ephesians is the premiere New Testament document dealing with ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church), so it is fitting that the qualities in these verses are corporate in nature—dealing with relationships within the church. There is little place in the Bible for the individualism that so often marks American culture. Every believer is a member of the body, the church, and we are meant to live in community as a family.” (Osborne, Ephesians Verse by Verse)

Prayer: Lord we thank you that you call us to be and live as your church. We ask that you empower your church, build up your church, and fill your church with your visions and dreams. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s worship with the song “Highest Praise” by Phil Wickham (click here).

-GK

Colossians 3:1-5 (NIV)
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry…[instead] put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

The Lord is worthy. Everything the Lord is, says, and does is worthy. Therefore, when we follow him, and we are in whole life agreement with him, we also live worthy of him.

This whole life agreement is what we witness and experience during moments of baptism and membership. The agreement is in saying yes to following the Lord, serving the Lord, and belonging to the Lord as his church. When our lives are in this biblical flow, and we have that life agreement with the Lord, it leads us to living worthily and doing things that are worthy of God.

Today, may we come in whole life agreement with the Lord again. May we surrender the tendency of just giving half of our lives—half commitment, half surrender, half worship, half anything.

Prayer: Lord we confess our tendency of giving just half of our lives. Today, may we know the freedom and the joy of giving the whole of our lives, in whole agreement with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Hymn of Surrender” by Matt Redman (click here).

-GK

Let us read aloud the following scripture and prayer:

Ephesians 1:19-21 (NLT)
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Romans 16:25-27 (NLT)–Doxology:
25 Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. 26 But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. 27 All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we say yes and amen to your love, to the fullness of life and power that comes from you, and that you are able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ask or imagine. To you be all the glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s worship to the song Echo Holy by Red Rocks worship (click here).

-GK

Ephesians 4:1 NIV
Therefore, as a prisoner in the Lord, then, I exhort you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

“The verb in this verse defines this section, which consists of a series of ethical and spiritual exhortations. Several versions render it as ‘urge’ or ‘appeal,’ but Paul is not pleading with his readers. Rather, he is exhorting them to a deeper Christian walk. In general Paul tends to use the language of exhortation rather than of command. His purpose is to instruct and build up his readers rather than to demand blind obedience (2 Cor 10:8).” (Osborne, Ephesians Verse by Verse)

The word “exhort” is not a command as precluding one’s own desire “to want to.” For our wanting and desiring and choosing is necessary in living for the Lord. However, to exhort does not mean merely an encouragement, where it is all about whether we want to or not.

The word “Exhort” combines this sense of absolute necessity to obey combined with the willingness and desire to obey. It is to say, “I absolutely have to,” and “I absolutely want to obey.” This is the approach that is required in living worthily for the Lord. In Paul, we see that the greater the growth in Christ, the greater the embrace of being slaves in God, for that is the right place to be.

Prayer: Lord Jesus we belong to you. May our response to you be one of humility and thanksgiving, as we are exhorted to follow you in absolute obedience and willingness. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Let’s worship to the song Greatest Hallelujah by Matt Redman (click here).

-GK

Ephesians 4:1 (NLT/NIV/NRSV)
Therefore as a prisoner in the Lord, then, I exhort you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

“Chapter 4 begins with language similar to what Paul used in 3:1, in effect saying ‘I, a prisoner in the Lord, exhort you.’ In the earlier passage Paul called himself ‘the prisoner of Christ Jesus,’ while here he is ‘a prisoner for (in some translations in) the Lord,’ stressing his unity with Christ. We could almost define Ephesians as being the ‘in Christ’ letter, since the phrase appears so often. As in 3:1 the basic message is that while Paul may be incarcerated by Rome, he has actually been captured by the Lord. Christ, not Rome, is truly in charge, and Paul belongs to him and has been incorporated into him. He is also stressing the cost of discipleship, using his own trials (pun intended) as the model.” (Osborne, Ephesians Verse by Verse)

Paul had no problem calling himself a slave in the Lord, for he knew that he was once a slave to Satan. Hence, to declare that he is now a slave in the Lord, is to express that he will never again be a slave to Satan, for in Christ he is now someone who belongs to the Lord alone. Today we are slaves in Christ—and nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you that we now have the freedom to wholly belong to you, and live in the assurance that nothing can separate us from your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Great are you Lord” by Sinach (click here).

-GK