Colossians 1:10-13, “That you may walk (live and conduct
yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring
to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing
and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer
insight, acquaintance, and recognition]. [We pray] that you may
be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His
glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and
forbearance) with joy, Giving thanks to the
Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the
inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light. [The
Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the
dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His
love.” (AMPC)
John 15:13, “No one has greater love [no one has shown
stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.”
(AMPC)
This is the love, life, blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice that
were given for us. But, what have we given to Him in return?
Like the chorus says, "He paid a debt He did not owe, I
owed a debt I could not pay - I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I
sing a brand new song, 'Amazing Grace'; Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could
never pay."
“That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner
worthy of the Lord…”: First, ‘walk’ is present tense, letting us know that
this is to be done on a continual basis! Day in and day out we are to walk out
this lifestyle of Christ-like Discipleship. Which requires quite a bit of daily
discipline. Secondly, our lives and conduct are to be lived out in such a
manner that it is worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ! The word “worthy” is defined
as “deserving or good enough; deserving effort or attention or respect.” Can we
honestly say that’s descriptive of our lives and conduct on a daily basis? Are
we giving Him what He deserves? Is what we’re giving Him good enough? Is what
we’re giving Him reflective of effort, attention and respect? Everyday? In
public and private? In church, at home, at work, at school, at the laundry, at
the mall?
The Bible goes on to read, “…fully pleasing to Him and desiring to
please Him in all things…”. The word ‘fully’ is defined as ‘completely,
entirely’. Do we live our daily lives and conduct in such a way that
Christ is Fully Pleased with it and us? And not just
our Sunday-Go-To-Meeting ‘Form of Godliness’, but when we’re in traffic
and get cut off, is He still pleased with our words, actions and thoughts? Is
He pleased with us completely…entirely…and in ALL things? Are we pleasing to
Him in how we handle conflict, crisis, disagreements, anger, bad news,
disappointments, let downs, betrayal? Are we still pleasing to Him when someone
else gets the pat on the back; the word of encouragement; the support? Are we
pleasing to Him when we’re overlooked; under-estimated; passed over; ignored or
rejected?
When We’re Pleasing To Him In ALL Things, That Means The Success
And The Failure; The Promotion And The Demotion; The Marriage And The Divorce;
Financial Increase And Financial Decrease; When The Doctor’s Report Is
Favorable And When It’s Unfavorable; when someone else gets the house while
we’re still trying to pay for the studio; when they drive the car out the
dealership while we’re scrapping to get coins to go on a Metrocard; when we can
keep the utilities on and when they’re cut off? Are We Pleasing To Him In Our
Daily Lives, No Matter The Mood, Feeling Or Experience? Or are we well over-due
for an attitude adjustment that’s more in line with His characteristics?
Do People Look At Us And Want What We Have? Do They See God? Do
They Hear God? How Do We Represent Him? How Do We Present Him? How Do We
Reflect Him?
Is our Christian Conduct, Character, Lives and Lifestyles Drawing
People Nearer to Christ or Drawing Them Further Away? Let’s be honest, some
people will not receive Christ, not because of Him but because of His
Christians.
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your
Christians are so unlike your Christ.” (Mohandas Gandhi)
Is this descriptive of us? Have we so warped our walk with God
that people aren’t following Him, not because of Him, but because of Us?
Believe it or not, but how we live, how we act, how we speak, how we dress, how
we behave, matters. We represent and reflect Christ…everyday…everywhere…
In essence, we are Christ’s Brand! A “brand” is defined as, ‘a
type of product manufactured by a company under a particular name; an
identifying mark.’ We function under the name of Christ and our conduct and
lifestyles are the identifying mark of Who He is. Acts 11:26, “And when he
had found him, he brought him back to Antioch. For a whole year they assembled
together with and were guests of the church and instructed a large number of
people; and in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. We are in
His Image and Likeness; We are Called by His Name; We are Christians; We are
Believers; We are Sons and Daughters of the Most High God; We are Ambassadors
and Personal Representatives of Christ…Therefore, How Do You Think We Should
Live? How Should We Act? How Should We Behave? How Should We Speak? How Should
We Dress?
In a Manner That is Worthy of the Price He Paid!
Our conduct, lives and lifestyles should produce manifested
evidence of being strengthened with all power! Now, does that mean we don’t
experience weak moments? Absolutely not, we’re still frail and faulty flesh.
However, we should never walk around day-to-day with a defeated disposition,
anxious attitude, and miserable mindset! We are strengthened in the might of
His Glory, therefore, let’s sound, act, live and look like it! And in light of that
text, we’re not to be easily intimidated by trials, tribulations,
struggles, suffering, stress, situations or circumstances!
Today’s Selah Moment is Simply This: “Is Your Walk Worthy of the
Price He Paid?” No One Can Answer This But You!
Blessings
J.P. Olson
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