Ephesians 4:1b – The Power to be Worthy

… then, I urge you to live a life worthy …

Summary: Living a life worthy of our Lord is a full-time job. It is also a job that requires us to wear many hats.

How does Paul expect us to live a life “worthy” of being called a Christian?

I write this question on a day when I feel less than “worthy.” I’ve been tired and listless, and my mind has wandered. When my mind wanders, it tends to stray into dark areas on days like today. I don’t like being this way, and it certainly doesn’t feel worthy of my Lord Jesus.

So how does Paul do it? How are we supposed to do it?

In Chapter 1, Paul writes about God’s “incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1: 19). Paul describes this power as the power God used to raise Jesus from the dead. He then couches the word “power” in terms of governmental or political dominance (Ephesians 1:21). These are two very different kinds of power, but the word is appropriate in each case.

Later, in Chapter 3, Paul describes additional types of power. He talks about the power to apply grace to Paul’s life (Ephesians 3:7), and he prays that we, his readers, are strengthened with power in our “inner being.” (Ephesians 3: 16). He talks about the “power” to understand the depth of Christ’s love (Ephesians 3:18), and finally he points to the “power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

Living a life that is worthy of Jesus requires lots of power. We need God’s power in us to overcome and displace the evil and unrighteousness that constitutes our current culture. So what happens when we don’t feel the power to live a worthy life?

When I was about twelve years old, my dad took the family up to visit a friend of his who had a cabin on Hood’s Canal on Puget Sound. The people we were visiting were very nice. My dad’s friend’s name was “Fuzzy.” His wife was Carol.

We stayed with them for a week, and during that week I was out with Fuzzy on his boat a few times. One evening, he invited me to drive the boat on our way back to the cabin.

I was thrilled!

In my child’s mind, driving the little speedboat was the equivalent of piloting a rocket ship. I visualized myself captaining the ship at full throttle across the waves, and so, delighted by the prospect, I pushed the throttle wide open and firmly gripped the steering wheel, grinning from ear to ear.

“Slow down!”

The words slowly penetrated my inner world. “What is going on?” I wondered. I looked over at Carol sitting next to me, and she seemed upset. “Slow DOWN!” she said again angrily.

I throttled back the little engine and slowed the boat. She explained that her back was injured and the pounding of the waves was hurting her. Disappointed, my rocket ship slowly morphed back into a little boat with four people in it gently putt-putt-putting along as carefully as possible. The boat had more power, but I was not being allowed to use it.

Sometimes living a life worthy of Christ is a matter of waiting on the Lord (Psalm 27:14). Being patient is hard. Waiting is hard. Bearing with one another can be hard. All of these things are part of living a worthy life, yet none of them “feel” very flashy. Perhaps that is the way it’s supposed to be.

Application: The power of God takes different forms depending on the task at hand, even when that task is simply waiting on the Lord.

Food for Thought: What can we learn from Jesus about living a life worthy of our Lord?