I’ve seen, read, and used the phrase walk worthy many times. It is a mandate I gladly and seriously accept in my life. If you are a full-time follower of Jesus Christ, it is a mandate for your life too. Before diving into the given mandate, let me say a word about the demarcation of full-time follower versus part-time follower. There are both in this world and both in our churches. A full-time follower of Jesus Christ not only allows but welcomes the direction of the Holy Spirit in all areas of life. They have a growing faith and a hunger and thirst for God’s Word. A part-time follower of Jesus Christ has a belief in Him but picks and chooses where and when to incorporate Him into their daily lives.

For those who are sold-out to Jesus and want to live lives devoted to walking hand in hand with Him, we have a high calling on our lives. We are called to walk worthy of living out the Gospel message. What does this look like? Great question! Micah 6:8NIV says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Did you notice in that verse that walking is mentioned? That is so important because walking implies movement and a journey. Walking worthy is not about preparing a script of holy things to say or act on. Walking worthy of our calling is about living every part of the journey authentically and transparently. In other words, it is not at all about giving a perfect example of holiness but instead showing evidence of growth, humility, leaning into the strength of the Holy Spirit for guidance, and modeling that mistakes and rebellion happen. Why would we ever want to be transparent about our mistakes and rebellion and how in the world is that walking worthy? Ah, this is the great part, because once we can be transparent about when we blow it, others can see the Truth of God’s gracious and loving forgiveness and reconciliation working in our lives. It is a beautiful thing to watch!!

For those of you that like to get to the bottom line of a topic you are grappling with, here it is: walking worthy is about living in and through Jesus Christ and letting others peer into that world of His truth and not the world’s pre-conceived notions about what a religious life looks like. It is a keen understanding that people are watching us. It has nothing to do with perfection and everything to do with consistency and authenticity.

Perhaps we can understand why some believers choose to only follow Him part-time. Expectations are low, perceived freedom is high, opportunities for selfishness abound, but peace and joy are scarce. For those who want to walk it humbly all the way with Jesus though, there is a mandate on your life to walk worthy. Lean into Him (humility) and let others see your great strides, your stumbling and bumbling, and the glory of the One who sustains you all the way. Oh, and peace and joy while we walk? Loaves and fishes baby! Loaves and fishes!!