Worthy

The phrase that Paul often repeats has always stood out to me, "Walk in a manner worthy of your calling." 

What does it mean to be worthy of our calling as Christians?  In the Free Indeed class I'm taking the teacher said, "Yes the gospel is confusing because it is free.....yet it will cost you everything."  When he said this everyone laughed, because we know it's true. 

We are called as Christians to pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus.  What does it mean to pick up our cross?  To be willing to die, to self, to any self-preservation tendencies we have, to not care what people think about us.  Think about it, if we were willing to die every day would we care what others thought about us?  No. 

When we die to ourselves daily and stay humble before God we are then walking in a manner "worthy of our calling."

When we continue to give in to our flesh, whether it be through anger, lying, gossip etc, we are not walking in a manner worthy of our calling.

The teacher said we as Christians are to be different from the world.  We are supposed to stand out.  Rom. 12:2 "Don't be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."  He said though that most of the time when the world looks at us Christians they think, "Well you aren't any different from me.  You're barely making ends meat.  You're depressed all the time.  You're having issues in your marriage.  You're sick and having to go to the doctor all the time.  How is Jesus benefiting you?  Isn't God supposed to be your healer, counselor, provider etc?"  

The teacher keeps saying that when we pray "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is heaven" we are praying and asking for a lot more than we realize.  In heaven there is always an abundance of everything; food, peace, joy, love etc.  In heaven no one is sick.  In heaven there is no pain.  In heaven everything is as it should be; it is a utopia. 

But why don't we really believe that God wants our little worlds to look like heaven?  Why do we think the abundant life is reserved for heaven and not now?  For some reason we think God wants us stuck in our brokenness and bondage, that he actually wants us to be miserable.  But no, he doesn't.  That is Satan who wants us to be miserable and Satan is lying to us telling us God wants us to be miserable. 

"For I know the plans I have for you....plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

God wants us to walk worthy of him?  But how can we walk worthy of him when we are stuck in bondage?  How can we "shine like stars in the universe" when we are miserable and depressed all the time?  We can't. 

Don't believe the lies of Satan that God wants you to be miserable.  God wants you to be filled with JOY.  He wants you to thrive and to SHINE for Him.  He wants you to preach the "Good News" to the world! 

Part of how we preach is through our own lives.  "Preach the gospel at all times.  Use words only when necessary." :)  People look at our lives and see that we are a walking testimony that God is real and that He IS powerful.  They see the victory we have had in our own lives through Christ and that's what they want.  We are to make the gospel attractive.  And how do we do that?  By being all that God wants us to be and walking in victory, not defeat. 

Let God set you free from anything and everything so that you can shine for Him!  Amen :)