Walk Worthy

And Knights of the Round Table!

April marked the much-anticipated release of…

Isn’t the cover gorgeous?? This epic ballad is Malcom Guite at his very best. You can purchase your copy here and join me in reliving the magic of your childhood. That is, if you grew up like me, reading any and every story of King Arthur, his noble Knights, and glorious Camelot. The illustrations by Stephen Crotts are also breathtaking:

Do you remember the legend of Sir Galahad? He was born as the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and Lady Elaine (He was tricked, you see, into thinking Elaine was really Guinevere).

Galahad grew up and was brought to King Arthur’s court at Camelot during Pentecost. He is led to the Round Table. At the table is an empty chair known as the Siege Perilous. This chair is saved for the knight worthy of finding and possessing the lost Holy Grail, also known as the Cup of Christ. For all who have aspired to sit there it has proven to be immediately fatal. Galahad arrives to discover that his name magically written on the chair.

What makes Galahad worthy of such an honor? He is famous for his spiritual purity and unparalleled virtue. In other words, his nature and his character set him apart from every other knight known before him. In all of the legends surrounding King Arthur, Sir Galahad is the character most like Christ.

Walk Worthy

The authors of the great Camelot stories undoubtedly drew on Scripture to compose their adventures. We’ve been studying the Bible’s use of the walking metaphor as parallel to living life as a believer in Jesus. Today, we’ll examine one of Paul’s favorite expressions in his letters:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…

Ephesians 4:1

…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…

-Colossians 1:10

…we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

-1 Thessalonians 2:12

Walk in a manner worthy….

The word worthy in Greek is “axis”, meaning “appropriately.”

What does it mean to live appropriately to God and to our calling?

Christians of the Round Table

For King Arthur and his knights, their choices were shaped by the Code of Chivalry. This code required military service, humility, generosity, defending the weak, loyalty, honesty, and defending of the faith.

Paul saw the life of the Jesus follower similarly.

Let your life provide evidence of being deeply loved

In Colossians 1, walking worthy means to bear fruit (evidence of faith), and to commit your life to increasing knowledge of God’s word.

The simple truth is this: the more you know our King, the more you will love Him. Spending time in God’s Word helps us to know who He is. The choices we make as we journey through life flow from what we have learned pleases Him. Humbly serving others, self-sacrifice, commitment to honesty, loving those who are hard to love—these are all the ways He has loved us through Jesus. Choosing these behaviors doesn't save us, but they reflect the image of the one who has already saved us. Our lives become worthy of Jesus’ sacrifice when we imitate Him.

Gratitude in hardship

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, living worthy of Christ’s call means to live with thanksgiving even in the midst of suffering.

When an experience has truly changed you—regardless of what that experience is—you can never live life in the same way again. A good example might be having a child. From the moment that child is born, the parents become totally different people. They see the world through the eyes of their child. They have an inexplicable love and responsibility to that child that never changes, no matter how much time passes.

Suffering can do this to us, too. Perhaps you have a tragedy in your life that marks a definite Before and After in your story. Paul suffered horribly while proclaiming the Gospel. He wrote many times about the numerous threats on his life. Yet, he commands followers of Jesus to offer up thanksgiving in the midst of suffering.

Why?

Because the ultimate transformation—the experience that has truly changed everything about you—already happened. When Jesus suffered on the cross in your place, He secured for you an eternity of wholeness.

In Tim Keller’s book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, he writes:

The idea that there is nothing in the human experience that God himself has not suffered, even losing a child, is sustaining. And the idea that in His resurrection, Jesus’ scars became His glory is empowering. God will use these scars for His glory, as they become our glory.

We can be thankful as we walk through all circumstances because of the glory that awaits us.

Bear with Me

Ephesians 4 tells us that living a life worthy of the calling means to bear with other believers, even the ones who are hard to love. Protecting the unity and peace of the Church is paramount.

When I think back to all the churches I’ve been a part of, I’m amazed at some of the friendships I’ve made. Nothing but Jesus could have brought us together. I mean, humans are difficult to love (myself included). They can be loud, opinionated, aloof, thoughtless, selfish, boring, and needy. Yet, when we see ourselves for who we really are, and when we marvel at the way our King loves us, then it’s easier to love His people…His church. When outsiders see the way we love all people, they catch a glimpse of how God loves.

Living worthy means there is something valuable to live for. The ultimate worth is that of our Savior’s sacrifice for us. Meditate on what He accomplished for you. Once He becomes the ultimate worthy object of your affection, you will live a life worthy. And life will most definitely be worth living.