Reading: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work.”— Colossians 1:10

In Scripture, “walking” is applied to the conduct or behavior of people. It points to the active rather than the passive side of the Christian life. It expresses not only motion but voluntary and progressive motion. Walking is in contrast to sitting and lying down and aimless meandering. It is keeping to the way which God has marked out for us.

What about walking worthy? To walk worthy of the Lord signifies conducting ourselves as saints should, acting in accordance with the character of the One whose name we bear and whose followers we profess to be. To walk worthy of the Lord means to conduct ourselves suitably and agreeably to our relation and indebtedness to Him.

To walk worthy of the Lord is the great task which is assigned the Christian and the matter must be attended with the utmost diligence. We must ever conduct ourselves in a manner that will enable other saints to glorify God through us (Galatians 1:24) and also towards unbelievers, “them that are without” (Colossians 4:5).

There is only one way to walk worthy of the Lord and that is to walk in God’s ways (Isaiah 2:3: “He will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths”). We cannot walk with God in a way of self-will and self-pleasing. The moment we forsake the path of duty and wander into what Bunyan calls “by-path meadow,” we turn away from God and the leave the only place where fellowship with Him is to be had.

“O for a closer walk with God, / A calm and heavenly frame, / A light to shine upon the road / That leads me to the Lamb!”—William Cowper