To Walk Worthy: Part One
Paul, writing to the Colossians, said, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).
Paul again said in 1 Thessalonians 2:12, “As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charge every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.”
It seems that Paul was obsessed with the concept of worthiness but we find the theme of walking worthy of God’s calling continued by John the Revelator several times in the book of Revelations as well, denoting that this is not just a concept that God laid upon one man’s heart for own benefit, but was rather a very important concept we should take note of.
So, what, you might be asking, does it mean to be worthy?
Clearly, the term ‘worthy’ is associated with ‘value.’
To be worthy of God is to be of value to God.
This is more than simply being filled with the Holy Ghost and being baptized in Jesus’ name; it is reaching into a higher dimension and opening one’s self to be used of God Almighty.
But, honestly, how can any mortal man say that he is of value to Almighty God?
Let us consider this excerpt from Psalm 18:6-15…
“In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.”
In yet another passage of scripture, God is said to make heaven His throne and earth His footstool. He is quoted as holding the waters in the palm of His hand.
How could a God so unfathomable, so mighty find a fallible, minute, mere clay man or woman to be of value to His awesomeness??
Even James likened our lifespan to a vapor that appears for a little while—then vanishes away without a trace!
Once again I ask, how could anything so fragile, so tangible as mankind be of value to an omnipotent, omniscient, all-encompassing God?
As amazing as it may seem, we find examples of man’s ministering to God in Matthew 8:14, 15…
“And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.”
Some have tried to delineate her ministry to merely serving them with food or lodging, but there is much, much more.
In Luke 8:2, 3, we find another such account:
“And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, ministered unto Jesus of their substance.”
But how? What substance specifically? How does one minister to a God that can create manna from nothingness, life from a single divine breath, and a universe by the power of a word?
The Bible speaks many times of ‘ministering.’ Although these passages often seem to reflect the ministry of preaching or teaching, there is much more to the meaning of the term, ministry.
According to Webster’s dictionary, to minister is to give aid or service to. The Roget’s Thesaurus likens it to attending, nursing, taking care of, healing, tending, sustaining, or treating.
While some have used the story of these women and of Peter’s mother-in-law to diminish women’s roles in ministry to that of cooking and serving, the definition of the term clearly elevates such service above that we commonly call ministry today!
Preaching is NOT ministry…unless it attends, nurses, takes care of, heals, tends, sustains, treats, gives aid, or services the soul of man!
1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”
This is the essence of ministry. And I might add, women were not only mentioned as ministering…but they ministered to Jesus himself!
Now there are many here who may be thinking: ‘But I’m not a skilled preacher, an anointed teacher, a dynamic worship leader, an awesome singer, a great musician…’
Whatever adjectives you choose to use—great, magnificent, excellent—you automatically find yourself lacking when confronted with the awe-inspiring responsibility of being of value to God!
It is this point, however, that we are NOT understanding the things that God values.
To be of value to God, we must first know what god values!
