Walk Worthy Of Your Calling
1. Walking Daily With The Lord
2. Identify With Christ
3. Walk Not As The World Walks
4. Walk In Love
5. Walk As Children Of Light
6. Walk Circumspectly, Not As Fools, But As Wise
7. Walk In Christ Jesus Unto Good Works
8. We Better Be Walking With God
9. Walk By Faith
10. Walk In Truth
11. God Wants To Walk With Us
12. Can Two Walk Together?
13. The Lord Is My Shepherd
14. Walk Humbly With Thy God
15. Walk In The Spirit
1. Walking Daily With The Lord
Preacher John Byerly was with us at Pine Grove recently and he spoke on our walk with the Lord. The message began with Ephesians 4:1, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” Let’s follow his sermon in the book of Ephesians and then move to other scriptures that tell us how to walk daily.
2. Identify With Christ
There’s nothing I can do to make me worthy of the love Jesus gave when He gave His life on the cruel cross. I could cry a thousand tears and give away all my love and possessions with the hope of nothing in return, and I would still be unworthy of His mercy and grace. We are not worthy, but we are to walk worthy of the calling! When we ask Jesus to save us and make Him Lord of our life, then we are to identify with Christ. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17) Those around us should see Christ through us by our speech and what we talk about, and by our walk and the way that we live. We can each ask this question, “Can the world see Jesus in me?”
“1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:1-7)
3. Walk Not As The World Walks
Ephesians 4:17 tells us to “…walk not as other Gentiles walk…” The Gentiles in this scripture refers to the unsaved in the world. They worshiped idols. Paul goes on to give examples of how the world walks “in the vanity of their mind”, and continues in the chapter with ways that Christians are to walk “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”
“17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:17-32)
4. Walk In Love
Paul continues with his instructions in how we are to walk by reminding us to walk in love. “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:1-2) He gives the example of Christ who gave Himself for us. When we have love to others and focus on how we can be giving to them, it keeps us from getting bitter and losing our identity and influence as a child of God. “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.” (II John 1:6) Not only are we to walk in love to others, but more importantly walk in love to God and keep His commandments. “In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.” (Deuteronomy 30:16)
5. Walk As Children Of Light
Our next way to walk worthy is found in Ephesiahs 5:8. Before we are saved we are in darkness, but when we ask the Lord to forgive us of our sin and put our trust in Him we become children of light. And as children of light, we are to walk in His light.
“8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Ephesians 5:8-11)
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
“5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (I John 1:5-7)
6. Walk Circumspectly, Not As Fools, But As Wise
Our next “walk” in the book of Ephesians is in 5:15. “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,” Paul even gives us the reason, in the next verse. “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” We live in an evil world and we have to be careful. The devil tries to trip us up and rob us of our joy. We need to be careful about the things we do. We need to be careful about where we stand. Be wise! “Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.” (Hosea 14:9)
Let’s continue with the chapter.
“17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” (Ephesians 5:17-20)
7. Walk In Christ Jesus Unto Good Works
We are not saved by our works. We can’t do anything good enough to pay for our sin. We can’t give away enough money or works to buy our salvation. Paul makes it clear that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. Through His great love, Jesus died on the cross to give His life to pay for our sin. We are going back to the second chapter in Ephesians to see our next walk, but we must be clear that we are not saved by works, but we are to walk in Christ Jesus unto good works. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) Some people can work with their hands and build, or create, or make wonderful things with great skill and quality that shows great workmanship. God is creating, and making us, with great care and quality and it is humbling to think that we are His workmanship. With the price Jesus paid for us, how can we not want to walk in good works unto the Lord?
“1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:1-10)
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.” (Titus 3:4-8)
8. We Better Be Walking With God
I have seen many short videos of the recent flood in Nepal. It is so sad to see the people looking at the water coming towards them, and see that they could not outrun the flood. It was completely unexpected, on a bright sunny day, and the water was unstoppable. When I see disasters like this it makes me so thankful that the Lord is with me. Jesus warns us of trouble in the last days, in Luke 21:11, “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” I believe that we are getting really close to the end of time and we better be walking with God. One day each one of us will leave this old world and it might be completely unexpected. Look at Genesis 5:24, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Enoch was walking with God so close that one day he just walked with God right up to heaven. What a glorious testimony. “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5) Our day is coming and we better be ready. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27)
9. Walk By Faith
We don’t always understand the way that God is leading us. When we can’t see the path that God has shown us to walk in, then we walk on by faith. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) The writer of Hebrews gives us examples of men and women in the Bible who walked by faith. Abraham is a great example. He put His trust in God, even though he did not know where God was leading him. He obeyed what God had told him. If we want to walk by faith we must obey God’s Word. Abraham was able to do this because he had an eternal focus. “For he looked for a city… whose builder and maker is God.”
“8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)
10. Walk In Truth
What is truth? I was trying to think of how to begin this devotional, and I typed in, “What is truth?” in my Bible concordance app. It came up with a chapter and verse reference where someone in the Bible actually asked the question, “What is truth?” Do you know who it was? Before we look at who posed the question, let’s see what AI says when I ask Google. I get really aggravated when I see all the posts online that are obviously not true. People who know how to use the different apps on the computer can make almost anything look real. They can put you in a photo where you never were, and take you out of a photo when someone doesn’t want to admit you were there. I often complain that children today don’t know what is true and what it just a falsified creation, because many of the things they see are made to look like they actually happened. But, AI pulled a good answer from Merriam-Webster, “Truth is the quality or state of being in agreement with fact, reality, or actuality.” God’s Word is true! “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” (Psalm 119:160) Look also at John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” When we know the Word of God, we can walk in truth. David prayed, “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.” (Psalm 86:11-12) Okay, do you know who asked Jesus, “What is truth?” It was Pilate, who told the Jews, “I find in him no fault at all”, but had Him crucified anyway. Walk in truth.
“37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
40 Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.” (John 18:37-40)
11. God Wants To Walk With Us
God created Adam and Eve and put them in a wonderful garden of perfection. God provided all their needs and walked with them. But, after they sinned, they tried to hide from God. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8) God still wants to walk with us. “And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” (Leviticus 26:12) The Apostle Paul mentions all the things that cannot separate us from God’s love and fellowship.
“37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)
Nothing can separate us from God’s love but our sin can come between us and the Lord. “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)
12. Can Two Walk Together?
In the book of Amos, the Lord asked the people “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3) I enjoy walking. My doctor told me to walk so many steps every day. We had a hot summer and many days after working in the garden I didn’t feel like getting all the steps in. On the really hot days I couldn’t walk outside so I walked from room to room in the house. If it was a beautiful day and I asked Michael to walk with me, there are a few things we would have to agree on. First, we would have to agree on the path and direction we would walk. We could not walk together if we were walking in opposite directions. To walk with the Lord we must walk on the path and direction He has for us. Next, we would have to be walking at the same time. If Michael was walking even a little faster than I was, it wouldn’t take long for him to be way ahead of me. Or, if I walked faster, I would get ahead of him. Sometimes we have to seek the Lord’s timing in our daily walk. We may want to do something now and not understand why our prayers are delayed. We must believe in the Lord and put our trust in His guiding and follow Him. His timing is always right. When the Lord posed this question to Israel, they were not in agreement with God. They were worshiping idols and serving other Gods and judgment was coming. So, finally, I think that we would have to be in agreement with each other to walk together. It would be hard to walk with someone that I couldn’t talk with and fellowship with as we walked. Let’s walk with the Lord. “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.” (Deuteronomy 5:33)
13. The Lord Is My Shepherd
When Samuel went to Jesse to anoint one of his sons to be the new king, the older ones walked before him and the Lord told him that neither of these were the chosen one. “And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.” (I Kings 16:11-12) David was just a young shepherd who knew The Shepherd. We have been talking about walking with the Lord, and in this Psalm David says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” David fought many battles, but he walked with the Lord and was not afraid to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
“1 <<A Psalm of David.>> The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (Psalm 23)
14. Walk Humbly With Thy God
I am still reading in the Old Testaments prophets and I just finished the book of Micah. The prophets were sent from God to warn the people of God’s coming judgment. God is gracious and merciful and showed them how they were to walk. Before Moses went up the mountain for the last time, he reminded them of God’s commandments and how they were to walk in them. They were to teach their children so that they would know God’s law, and pass it down to their children.
“5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)
In reading through the Bible we see that God’s children often went away from God and served idols. God sent the prophets… “Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 29:19) We can learn from the prophets and Micah 6:8 is a great verse for us today. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” What a greater world this would be if we all would do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God!
15. Walk In The Spirit
I have enjoyed writing these devotionals on how we are to walk with the Lord. I didn’t get to all of the scriptures I thought about using, so I want to share them with you today. Paul told the Galatian believers, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) He continued by showing them the fruit of the Spirit. Let’s walk in His Spirit.
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22, 23, & 25)
These are a few more great verses on walking with the Lord.
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” (Jeremiah 6:16)
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (III John 4)
“1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalm 1)
