Our Expression of Gratitude - A Worthy Life

UV 3324/10000 Expression of Gratitude- A Worthy Life
So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called (that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior- a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation.)

Ephesians 4 v 1

Paul declares himself as a willing prisoner of Christ. He had given his heart, mind, thoughts, emotions, decisions, desires, preferences in captivity to Jesus who had called him out of darkness, sin, ignorance into the light, symbolically blinding him for a short period after the call. Thereafter, he began to live a life that was disciplined by the Holy Spirit, surrendering every organ to the Lord, using every moment and opportunity to know Him and make Him known. He exhibited godly character, courage, integrity in financial and other matters, maturity as a way to express his gratitude to God for his salvation.

In this uni-verse, St Paul challenges each one of us to likewise live a life that is worthy of Him, to express our gratitude to God for so great a salvation at so little cost to us. Like a prisoner or slave, we need to submit ourselves to the Lord. He will direct our steps. He will gently correct us. He will give us the inner strength to bear the inner fruit of the Spirit. The good fruit should follow the “good Root” or people will doubt whether we are connected at all in anyway with Jesus. Our lives should show that we are followers of Jesus. It we take pride in our autonomy, the sovereignty of our personal wills, it will create a dichotomy in what our lives speak to others. We are no longer free to do and say or decide whatever we want. We have been freed to be His. When we live a worthy life, we show thereby that we are not taking for granted the grace of God expressed to us in Christ.

Every thought, word, expression of emotion should be submitted to the examination of the Holy Spirit. If He stamps it “worthy of Jesus”, we have passed the quality control test and then go ahead. When we speak, we should ask if the words we are about to speak will add to the glory or spread the truth or grace or power of Christ. If not we should prefer to remain silent. The more we yield to the Holy Spirit working in us, the more our spiritual yield.