Hal Chaffee Ministries

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. – Ephesians 4:1-3

The letter to the Ephesians was one of the Apostle Paul’s prison letters. He wrote it while under house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial. He makes this clear in this passage by calling himself the ‘prisoner of the Lord.’ This phrase can have two meanings: first, that he is a prisoner for the sake of Christ, but also that he is a prisoner of Christ, held captive by His grace, bonded by love to do His will (2 Corinthians 5:14). Paul dedicated his life to preaching the gospel during a time when he faced much persecution for doing so. As a result, being thrown into prison was not uncommon for him (or any who did the same). From there, he wrote to those in the church that he loved so dearly, urging them in the strongest language possible to ‘walk worthy’ of the calling that they had been called to. He used his captive status to subtly guilt-trip them. He was saying, in effect, “Do you see me here, captive in Rome, unable to do much more than to write you this letter? It is because I have given my life to this gospel cause. I have been called to preach this gospel and have been, by the grace of God, faithful every day to live my life dedicated to this work. Will you not also live a life worthy of the gospel? Or will you leave me to suffer in this work alone?”

As I reflected on this passage, I wondered what it might be like to visit Paul in prison, to see him worn by years of travel and by abuse at the hands of those who wished him dead, and to think about the fact that he gave up the usual comforts of life for this work. What if he looked at us in that condition and asked, “Are you living a life worthy of the calling that you have received?”

I doubt any of us could answer fully in the affirmative. Some of us might be able to feebly say that we are doing our best. Others of us, not so much.

But what does Paul mean by ‘walking worthy of our calling’? And how can we do that?

Walking Worthy of Our Calling

First, we must establish what it means to ‘walk worthy.’ In scripture, ‘walking’ is a way of referring to how one lives one’s life. If a person ‘walks with God’ the way Enoch or Noah did, it means that they lived a life in lockstep with the Lord. It means that they lived to serve Him and obey His commandments. Another way to say this verse would be: “Conduct your life in a way that is worthy of the calling you have received.”

‘Worthy’ is an expression of value, ‘worth’ being the root word. Paul is asking his church (and the Lord asking us) to live in such a way that the value of how we live matches the value of our calling. 

Second, we must establish what our calling is. Each of us, in one sense, has different callings. As far as vocation, our callings differ. But this isn’t the sense in which Paul is speaking. Instead, he is speaking about our calling in a general sense, a calling that all of us have received. This calling had been the subject of the first three chapters of Ephesians, namely, that we Gentiles should be ‘fellow heirs’ of the kingdom of God with our believing Jewish brothers, that is, that we should inherit an everlasting kingdom at the return of our Lord Jesus! Jesus is coming soon, and He has called us to rule and reign with Him in His kingdom! What greater calling can there be than this?!

We can see why Paul begs them to live worthy of their calling. Our calling is great and glorious, and those who are called to great things must live their lives in a way that is different than the rest of the world. 

I will cite several examples of this:

First, think of a soldier called to serve his country. He must live a life worthy of his calling. He cannot live as any other, but he must live in a way to please his commanding officer. He must also live in a manner that is in keeping with his mission. Soldiers are trained to be completely obedient to their commanders. They know that unless they operate as one, they will be destroyed. They are disciplined in what they do, how they dress, and how they speak. It is easy to pick a career military man out of a crowd. They are well-dressed, well-kept, respectful, physically fit, and mentally sharp. They live worthy of their calling. And those who don’t are cast out.

Think also of a young prince. He is born into royalty and heir to the throne. He is called to lead his people and render justice in all in his dominion. If he is to be an effective leader, can he live as any other young man? No, he must live a life worthy of his calling. He must give himself to strict and rigorous schooling. To be a worthy king, he must lead by example and not participate in the typical reveling of young men. He cannot spend his days in the taverns and nights with the prostitutes. If he does, he will lose the respect of those he is called to serve. He must live worthy of his calling. The value of how he lives must match the value of his calling. 

Not many royals have done this, as history teaches us, but there have been some. Most notable would be King David. David was called and anointed to be king and is one of the best examples of a man living a life worthy of his calling. He had many opportunities to conduct himself in the degenerate ways of most of those vying for power, but he did not. Instead, he conducted himself in honor. He went above and beyond to respectfully serve those in authority over him, even when mistreated. He was left with the flocks while his brothers had more noble tasks, but he acted faithfully. When a lion or bear threatened his flock, he went beyond the call of duty to defend them. Later, when he had the opportunity to destroy King Saul (that maniacal man who constantly sought to take his life), he would not ‘lay a hand upon the Lord’s anointed’ but trusted God to deliver him. He acted nobly and in keeping with his calling; therefore, he was lifted up as one of the greatest kings that ever lived.

We also are called to be kings. Did you know that? The Bible says that Christ has made us ‘kings and priests unto God’ (Revelation 1:5-6). We must be kings, for how else could He be the King of kings? Just as David, before he inherited the kingdom, lived a life worthy of his calling, so must we. We are also inheriting a kingdom. We shall rule and reign with Christ. We shall judge angels. We shall govern cities. Should we not much more live worthy of our calling?

How to walk worthy of our calling

How are we to walk worthy of our calling? What must we do?

First, we must make a decision. We must once and for all decide that we will always strive to do what is right in the sight of God. David said this:

I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me. – Psalm 119:30

Second, we must prioritize. Seeking first the kingdom of God is essential to walking worthy of our calling. How are we worthy if the most important things are placed 2nd or 3rd or last? 

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… – Mat 6:33

Lastly, we must remain humble in our walk. If Satan can’t keep us from living a life worthy of our calling, he will seek to puff us up. When we are doing well, we must act in all humility and gentleness.

with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. – Ephesians 4:1-2 

Conclusion

Will you do it? Will you make the decision today to live in a manner worthy of your calling? Will you prioritize the most important things? Will you live in a humble manner? Decide today.

Watch the sermon version below: