Walking
with
GOD

Walk
Worthy of the Calling

I, therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you
to walk
worthy of the calling
with which
you were called
(Ephesians 4:1)

On several occasions when our children were young, we would all gather in a circle facing inward and I would ask all of us to repeat: "Our name is (insert family name) and not Everybody." I would explain to our children that someday, when they were older, they would want to do something which would not only be harmful to them, but would also bring disgrace upon the family name. I suggested that they might be tempted to offer as an excuse as to why they should be able to pursue such a thing by saying; "Everybody is doing it."

It would be then that I would remind them of the silly game we played when they were young: "Our name is (insert family name) and not Everybody." Everyone may well be doing it, but that is not who we are and not how we behave.

That same attitude ought to belong to followers of Christ. When we became followers of Jesus, when we put on Christ in baptism, and when we were adopted into God’s family, we took on a new name: Christian. Our name is not Everybody.

As Christians, we are called to walk differently than those who still follow the pattern of the world. Our way of walking does not make us better than others, merely different, for the goodness and righteousness we have is a gift that we received from the Lord and not from ourselves. But there is a difference.

As Christians we are called to live our life according to the highest moral and ethical standards. We are to be honest and truthful in all our behavior. We are to live such a way as to bring honor on the name we wear.

When people observe our lives they ought to be able to say; "There’s a Christian."