Word, Work, Walk
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Colossians 1:10 (KJV) emphasis mine
There are three important elements to living for Christ, and they are listed in this verse. In order to make everything as clear as possible, I am going to break this verse down backwards- because the verse is worded in such a way that the result is being listed before the things needed to create that result. If we looked at it in its stated order, it would show us these:
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, (Walk)
Being fruitful in every good work, and (Work)
Increasing in the knowledge of God; (The Word)
Looking at it in reverse, we see:
Increasing in the knowledge of God; (The Word)
Being fruitful in every good work, and (Work)
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, (Walk)
This makes more sense and does not change the meaning of the verse. Let’s look at these three statements.
Increasing in the knowledge of God;
This refers to God’s Word, which is the best way to know God and increase our knowledge of God. As we grow in knowing God’s Word, we grow in God. We must make God’s words our words. We must know His Word to speak, live it, and share it.
Being fruitful in every good work,
God’s word makes one fruitful, not in a fleshly way, but spiritually-speaking. God’s Word is supernatural. When placed in our hearts, spoken, and acted upon, it produces supernatural fruit, growth, and results. His Word makes our works fruitful, and we’ll be fruitful in every good work.
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
As a result of increasing in knowledge of God and being fruitful, our walk with God will be pleasing to the Lord, and will be considered worthy of Him. As believers, our goal is to please and glorify Him, and when our walk with Him is pleasing to Him and He considers our lives and lifestyles worthy, we are doing well.
God’s Word helps us to know God and walk with Him, doing what He tells us to do, thus making us fruitful in every good work. All we are, all we have, and all we do is to be based on who God is, knowing Him and obeying Him. Thus, our whole lives will bring glory to God.
