Walking WORTHY of the Calling...

I have recently been doing a lot of thinking about what it means to as Ephesians 4 says, "live a life worthy of the calling you have been called to". I have been a Christian for 7 years and what have I done for the furthering of the Kingdom of Christ and to bring glory to His name? If He were to take me home right now would I be able to stand before Him satisfied in the life I had lived for Him or would I have wished I would have done more? What does it mean to walk worthy of the calling?

So as I have been thinking about this I have realized some key things, and although this is not the kind of blog I usually write I thought I would share with each of you what's been on my heart in hopes that it may encourage you and promote prayer...

1. Missions- We have all been commanded in Matthew 28 to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout all the world. This could mean you have been called to Zimbabwe or to the neighborhood right down the street, but are we faithful to this? Are we taking every opportunity to promote the Gospel and glorify Him?

2. Giving- Is it more blessed to give than to receive? The answer is simply yes as we read in Acts 20:35, but the question than comes to, do we believe that? What does it mean to give? Do we give of not only our wealth but of our time and of our very lives?

3. Justice- In Micah 6:8 we read about a call to love justice. God loves justice...we are to as well. Do we have a heart for the poor and the oppressed? Do we show compassion to the sick and the needy? Are we willing to fight for truth in this lost world?

4. Trial/Tribulation- How do we respond in time of hardship in our lives? Are we responding with joy and with hope in the sovereign Lord or do we respond like it calls us to in James, realizing we are blessed.

5. Living Examples of Christ- Do we realize that we are living and breathing examples of Christ in this lost and fallen world? The world is watching and waiting to see if the way we interact with them, the way we respond to hardships, the way we show compassion, the way we talk, the way we live is different then the culture...is it? Do we take this serious that we are examples of Christ and we MUST be to everyone we come in contact with??

These are just some of the things that I have been wrestling with lately. I struggle to comprehend the weight of the responsibility that I've been given. Without Christ's strength daily it is impossible for me to live a life that is worthy of His calling but with Him it is possible (Philippians 4:13). I want to as Paul said, finish the race with endurance and fight the good fight. My prayer is that one day when I enter into the kingdom of heaven the Lord will look at me and I will hear the words..."Well done good and faithful servant I am well pleased!"