Walking worthy of the Lord

True knowing leads to right doing.

Paul's two-pronged intercession for the Colossians saints has as its first and foundational petition a desire for knowledge; the second but not secondary petition, grounded in the first, is that they might walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him.

Here is an action envisaged: the walk of the saint, which has to do with what is comprehensively and consistently characteristic of one's life.

We observe the standard established: to walk worthy of the Lord, to have a life that is becoming to him, giving a constant exhibition of Christ to his best advantage, feeling the weight of our connection with him.

The goal pursued has to do with the Lord's response: to be fully pleasing to him. Knowing that life is lived before God (Gen 17.1), we are to aim at a complete consecration to the pure and perfect will of God, aiming to secure his smile. We please not ourselves, nor the world, nor even other believers, but Christ the Lord. We aim not to minimise his displeasure, but - recognising that he delights to be delighted with us - to maximise his pleasure and satisfaction with our conduct. We aim to improve our knowledge of his will so that we can obey every precept and be guided by every principle: this is not legalism, but love, the response of a saved man or woman.

Enoch walked with God; he pleased him (Gen 5.22, 24; Heb 11.5). Faith was his starting point, as it must be with us, and we must then go on to walk worthy of the Lord.