OCT 9

Colossians 1:10
Memorise Colossians 1:10
“…ye might walk worthy of the Lord...”

The prayer of Paul for the Colossians to pursue spiritual maturity continues thus: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10) Spiritual maturity does not stop at knowledge of God’s will, but is also evidenced by one’s conduct as a Christian. Paul discusses four criteria to measure one’s conduct:

a. That it might be worthy of the Lord, ie. that one is a true ambassador for Christ, everyone can see that the person’s conduct is worthy of his high calling as a Christian.
b. That it pleases God in all aspects of one’s life, that he shows forth a consistent testimony not just in church but also in school, home, recreation, work, etc.
c. That it is fruitful in every good work ie. that not only the work itself is good but the manner the work is done shows the fruit of the Spirit. A Christian teen might pack his room at the behest of his parents, but the manner he does so is grudging instead of cheerful. Both the work and the manner it is done must glorify God.
d. That this conduct may result in knowing God even more; for the greater the extent a Christian lives his life by the rule of God’s Word, the more he learns to trust His Word, and knows more about God as a result. Faith in God and His Word can only increase by learning through such trials that test one’s faith (James 1:2-4).

Again we must remember this is not an impossible goal, for Paul prayed this for the Colossians. You must not be tempted to think that as a student or being a youth you cannot achieve all this. I have seen several teens serve God wholeheartedly, whereby in church they are good servants for Christ in various ministries, in school being acknowledged as a Christian in a praiseworthy manner (as opposed to one of hypocrisy), at home being a wonderful testimony of being subject to parents not just in results but also in behaviour, and growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ over time in spite of difficult trials faced. So don’t just pursue spirituality in knowledge alone, but examine your conduct as well.

Thought: Do others know I am a Christian because I say so or because I am one?
Prayer: May I measure my conduct daily against these four criteria.