Living A Worthy Life

Have you ever heard of or owned your own TY Beanie Baby? They are small stuffed animals which have little beans in them. They are children’s toys, but when I was growing up I learned that some of these beanie babies were worth a lot of money! If they were kept in good condition, with the tag still on, some of them could be worth thousands of dollars. My older brother had a beanie baby that was a Red Bull, which now can be worth up to $6,500!

I had tons of beanie babies to play with and so did my older sister Jenn. When Jenn and I would turn our room into a “beanie baby animal kingdom” it was one of the only times when we were united together. Our mutual love for playing with our beanie babies kept us from fighting with one another, it made us be patient with one another, it even bonded us together as sisters. The worth of our beanie babies can’t ever be measured, because it made the two of us love each other well.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus he talks about something far more valuable than beanie babies. He was addressing the Gentile and Jewish believers who had become one family because of what Christ did in his perfect life, death, and resurrection from the dead. It is for this reason that Paul continues writing and answers the question: Why live a worthy life?

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

(Ephesians 4:1-6)


Why should you live a worthy life? Because you have been called by God. If you have put your faith in Jesus and what He has done for you; if you are a Christian, then I beg you to live like it is true! Living with others in peace and love because we are united in Christ. If you’re a kid playing outside and your neighbor is inside playing Xbox or baking cookies, will you guys be united? No, there is nothing to bring or bind you together. Jenn and I were bound together first because we were sisters. Second, we were bound together by our common goal: playing beanie babies.

As believers, we become a family, bound together as brothers and sisters under our Heavenly Father. We learn to love others in the church well because we have a common goal of serving our God out of our love. Why live a worthy life? Because if you believe in God then you are part of the family, and your goal is to experience a life worthy of God’s calling.

How to Live a Worthy Life

Paul tells us why we are supposed to live like our lives matter, but that’s not where he stops, he also tells us how to live lives that matter. He tells us that we can live a worthy life because of what God has given us. Paul reminds us that because Christ came down to earth and has given us His Holy Spirit we can live lives of love and kindness. He has given us freedom from our sin so that we can enjoy life and live to serve Him out of joy.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”

(Ephesians 4:11-13)

The Beanie Babies Jenn and I played with were gifts to us, handed down from our siblings, or bought for us by our parents. Your life is a gift from God. If you are like I was in middle school, there may be moments when you doubt that your life has significance. You may think you matter less because you are young, or because you aren’t as intelligent or athletic as other people. The thought that you are worthless is a lie. You are important. You have value. Your life is a great gift. People like me, who teach the Bible, people who: evangelize, teach, or even preach, have been given gifts that they are supposed to share with others. Do you know what the responsibilities are with those gifts? We are supposed to equip you others for God’s work. Sharing the gospel isn’t just your pastor and your parent’s responsibility- it is yours if you believe in it.

When I was on staff at a school we looked at the results from a poll that went out to people who attended the school a long time ago. When asked about what they remembered most fondly, when asked what influenced their life in a positive way, and what helped them grow spiritually the majority of people said it was their friends who had the most impact on their lives. You are responsible right here, right now to show your friends the gospel. Be kind to someone who is having a hard day, be patient with someone who is annoying to you, pray for someone who seems sad. If you believe in Jesus, you are part of God’s family now and you can be part of it growing. When you recognize that you are part of God’s family, and that you can live a worthy life then you will see what a worthy life leads to.

What a Worthy Life Leads to:

God wants to bless His children, he wants you to grow, to be healthy, to be full of love!

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

(Ephesians 4:14-16)

A worthy life leads to a life worth living. As I’ve said, I struggled believing that my life was worth living in middle school, I didn’t feel important or like I had a purpose in life. I listened to the lies that were so clever that they sounded true. I was tossed around by the idea that because I wasn’t an adult with an awesome job and family, then it didn’t matter if I lived or not. Sometimes the world looks at people and ranks them as more or less valuable, because of what they say, what they do, or even how they look. Even churches mistakenly do that with pastors, we act like pastors are more valuable in the church than children sometimes. But that is not true. God’s children are all worthy of love in His eyes.

I had to learn that even as a child, my life mattered- because I was God’s child. I was part of His family. People spoke the truth to me and it saved my life. They told me that I had gifts that I could share with others- just like you all have unique gifts to share. But more than that they reminded me that I could live a worthy life worth living because I was loved by God. I owned both of these beanie babies growing up. One of them was allegedly worth $7000, the other was in a Mcdonald’s happy meal. I loved them both because they were mine! I love them because I got to spend time with them and use them! You may feel like a happy meal toy, sometimes, but let me tell you: because you are God’s He loves you and wants you to live a worthy life.

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