Do You Live a Life Worthy of the Lord?
Falling down is unavoidable, but God is cheering you on.
I want you to do a few things for me. But caution, if you can’t do them, my respect for you will dwindle, and I won’t care about you very much.
Ready? Here you go:
Run faster than the speed of light.
Swim underwater for an hour without equipment.
Go find a rock and squeeze it hard until water comes from it.
Impossible!
We often feel a similar dynamic at work with God and religion—there is no way we can live up to impossible commands! This habit of mind impairs our walk with Jesus. We wonder, “Why are we being asked to do things that are not possible for us who ‘are only human?’”
And we are pretty sure that when we fail, God is grievously disappointed and doesn’t like us very much. So, we are left carrying tons of religious baggage while having a confused relationship with God.
The first chapter of Colossians exemplifies this challenge. Paul is telling the church in Colossae how much he prays for them so that they would—
…live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way.
Colossians 1:10
Of all things in creation, including human beings, who or what could be worthy of the Lord?
I’ve squeezed my entire being for decades and never succeeded in getting that kind of holy water from the rock of my life.
Is Paul visualizing and praying for the impossible? Did he inadvertently inject Christianity with 2,000 years of guilt and shame? Or is Jesus to blame? He went even further than Paul down the trail marked Impossible: Be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). What is going on here? What is the good, positive, and beautiful thing Jesus and Paul envision?
Human flourishing.
The overall theme of Colossians is the centrality and supremacy of Christ. It makes sense then that Paul would think that humans thrive best when our lives align with Jesus. But Paul’s imagination creates the unsettling emotions I’ve described, and it causes on-and-off-again interactions with God. Paul’s vision raises questions.
What pleases God? Perfection only?
Is God grumpy and hard to please?
A Joyful, Cheering God
Picture a party with a family room full of friends and relatives. One young couple has a 10-month-old who has scooched over to the coffee table and pulled herself to standing. The parents shush everyone to attention: Look, Amy is preparing to take her first step—maybe this is the moment! Hearing the voice of her parents, she turns to look at them. Lifting her little hand from the table, she loses her balance and plops down on the carpet.
Can you imagine the gathering erupting in “What a loser! Amy’s worthless! Idiot!”?
Of course not! The extended family belly laughs, claps their hands, and cheers her on. Those who love her see the day coming when Amy will walk just fine. They could watch her try, with joy, all day.
A life worthy of the Lord, one that pleases him, is attained in just that way: small steady steps pursued as the natural course of spiritual formation—with the Trinity and a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on when we fail.
Our issues with Jesus and Paul may have less to do with them and their ideas and more to do with us. Discerning our truest desires and adjusting them to align with Jesus is one of the hardest aspects of spirituality. This could mean that holding worthy and perfect as unattainable masks our real challenge:
Do we desire a life worthy of Jesus?
Would we like to please God?
Or are there other goals and pursuits that dominate our lives?
I think it best to hear Jesus (be perfect) and Paul (live a life worthy of the Lord) in this way: Spiritual formation needs an aimpoint. That is what makes sense of Jesus’ use of teleios for perfect. Jesus is telling us to seek maturity and completeness. Go on a lifelong journey of taking your hands off the coffee table, trying to walk, and seeking to embody the mind and manner of Jesus.
As we try to do so, we quickly learn that falling down is unavoidable. Next time you fall short while trying to live a life worthy of the Lord, pause, and see if you can sense the delight the Trinity takes in your desire and effort.
And if you find yourself in a lull of seeking growth and trying to walk, that’s fine too. Just ask yourself, “Why am I gripping so tightly to the coffee table—to my present state? What is it that I desire more than growth in Christlikeness?”
You will be surprised at how little movement it takes on your part—in your heart, soul, and will—to get all of heaven loudly applauding.
I’m cheering you on, too!