Sunday, June 04, 2006

Worthy of the Gospel

Philippians 1:27-"Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.
This whole idea of living in a manner "worthy of the gospel" has been on my mind a lot recently. Partly this is due to a message I am preparing on appologetics. I have been wrestling with what it means to live "worthy" of the grace Christ bestowed upon us. It can be a cliche term thrown around a lot among Christian circles where most of us nod in agreement not really knowing what it is to live worthy of such a high calling. Personally, this has translated into attending church on a regular basis, going to a Christian college, and keeping my nose pretty much clean morally speaking. It is just recently that I discovered what Paul meant when writing this. This answer being found just a few verses later in Philippians 2:3-4.
"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."
Ironically, my preconceived notion of walking worthy had everything to do with me and nothing to do with my attitude toward others.
As I continue to think about the issue of appologetics, this passage continues to come to mind reminding me that much of my appologetic is the life I live every day. Is this life one that represents Christ? Is it a life that is the same in public as it is in private. What does my cover show about my life, and does my life read like my cover?