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“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Ephesians 4:1.)
Introduction
If we truly loved the Lord the way we ought to, then we would be compelled to walk worthy of Him in our daily lives. The passion of a Christian is Christ. This was certainly true of the apostle Paul, and he wanted his readers to serve Christ Jesus with all of their hearts too.
Beseech
This old English word means “to plead” with someone passionately. It is a heart-rendering cry for the other person to take notice or advice. This “beseeching” was part of Paul’s ministry to the churches he helped establish. In Romans 12:1-2 we find an example of why his pleading with believers to walk worthy of the Lord, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The same passion can be found in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God”
We can detect from these verses that Paul not only believed in what he preached, but he also felt it from his heart.
No Sunday Religion Here
Our faith should not be expressed one day a week, for our God is Lord of every day not just Sunday. Passionate Christianity loves and serves God daily. Not only do passionate believers get passionate over the things of God, but they are passionate about encouraging others to walk worthy too.
Passionate Believers are Obedient
Paul begged his readers to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ, for he understood that those who refuse to walk worthy will never receive the precious promises of God. Unless Christ is glorified in our lives how can we expect to be glorified with Him? If we do not walk in holiness in this life, then the unsaved are not going to see what the message of Christianity really is. Here is the crux of the matter; it is not that we need passionate preachers, but the world needs to see believers living passionately for Christ on a daily basis. Another term for this could be “spiritual zeal.” It is certain that we need more zealous Christians today.
Conclusion
Walking worthy is a vital characteristic of the child of God. While the knowledge of God and His Word is very important, without passion it has no expression in our lives. We need to be passionate about living according to righteousness, for it is impossible to love the Lord and not to walk in holiness. Those who walk worthy cannot resist telling others about the God they serve. They, from their heart, plead with sinners and backsliders to come to the Lord.