Worthy

I was walking my sweet Lady dog the other day and as I was walking I was thinking how different our walks have become.  We used to walk several miles, at a swift pace. But as the years have gone by and she has gotten older, our walks are now meandering strolls with a bunch of off leashed sniffing and an offering for outdoor adventure at a snail’s pace. Nevertheless, it continues to be a walk worthy; for it embraces a little exercise and outdoor activity and loving care for a four-legged friend that I hold so dear.     

 As I was walking her I was reminded of a sermon regarding walking that I heard a few weeks ago;  it was titled “Walk Worthy of Your Calling” by Richard Harris, our pastor at CEPC.

A great sermon based on  Ephesians 4:1-2  

New American Standard Bible: ¹ Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness,with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love.

His outline included 5 headings:

1)    What does it mean to walk worthy of your calling? To walk worthy of the gospel means to walk in truth, to practice instruction that is given through God’s word.

2)    Humility- Making an effort to constantly be thinking of others instead always demanding our own way. We all have some degree of pride and pride is the essence of so many of our struggles.  We want to be good and do good and so many times our efforts are futile attempts to demand respect or attention to self-achievements and ambitions instead of looking to the interests and well-being of others.  

3)    Gentleness- not thinking that we are the smartest one in the room- we can be strong in our convictions but gentle in our deliverance. Gentleness enables us to minister to others the way God has ministered to us through his grace and mercy.  Walking gently does not mean that we cannot be bold, we can but we can be bold gently.  

4)    Patience – the ability to suffer and endure people and circumstances without blowing up and giving up.  So many times, I am so tempted to just be mad and quit but God calls me to hang in there and approach whatever or whoever is before me with patience.  Though it is difficult, it is what I am called to do.

Harris shared a wonderful explanation from R.C. Sproul.  He said something like we all have sensitive topics that cause us to stiffen up and be provoked.    He called them land mines.  Some people just have a few here and there and we are able to step around them, not being so conscious of what we say or how we react.   While others you cannot hardly walk through their day without struggling to avoid stepping on them.  But God calls us to be patient.  And walk softly and respond gently.

5)    Forbearing- the ability to suffer for a long time.  Bearing with one another with love and in love and through love.  Remembering that God surely has been forbearing with each of us as he has changed us and continued to change us as we grow stronger through our trials and our faith and our relationship with God.  

Those people and circumstance that are brought before us …are reminders to us that we are all children of a living God.  Some of us have an easier road than others and we are called, in order to be worthy of our walk, to be forbearing with those who are often not easy.  For as God is growing us he also is growing them. It is a process for each of us.

One other example that Harris included in this sermon was his reference to the  movie: LION KING.

Remember that little lion, and the moment his dad held him up for the world to see and declared him to be his son… he was the son of the Lion King.  After his father was killed, by his uncle, he ran away from his identity.  And in a dream, his dad came to him and said “You are more than what you have become”.  

We are more than what we have become.

Remember who you are.  God holds us up each day and declares that we are HIS….You are a child of a King. Don’t run from it…. embrace your identity.  God’s grace and mercy are sufficient for our everyday existence.  

Our walk on this earth is made worthy each day as we strive to embrace the humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance that has been extended to each of us …..and as we pass it on to those whose paths we cross in love.  WE have been called to be even more that we are today;  filled with gentleness, patience, humility and forbearance.  

Remember who you are in Christ and the incredible gift that he has given to all of those who believe in the name of his son Jesus and what has been sacrificed for us so that we will have our everlasting treasure of eternal life.  

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!

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