A Life Worthy

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.” Colossians 1:9-12

That’s a pretty gigantic prayer Paul made on behalf of the Colossian people. “To live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way?” No pressure, right? I don’t know about you, but it sure would be easier if Paul said something like: “To live a life worthy of the Lord (the best you can) and please Him in (some way).”

This weekend my husband and I attended the funeral of our friend and chiropractor. He was diagnosed with a form of Melanoma cancer over a year ago and passed away January 7. Our family was patients of his for nearly six years. Over the years we had the opportunity to get to know Dr. Kurt and his wife Mary through our bi-weekly visits to their practice. He was one of the most caring and kind people I’ve had the privilege of knowing. And his faith in the Lord was truly what guided his life.

But what I discovered at his funeral service was that I barely knew this man at all. As friends and family shared, one after the other, I found out that Dr. Kurt was not only a wonderful husband and father, but a musician, a Bible study leader, a student of God’s Word, an honorably discharged Navy medic in the military. He was someone who prayed over his patients, and especially for those who weren’t believers yet. He treated many patients at little or no cost if they could not afford chiropractic care.

What I discovered was that Dr. Kurt knew what it meant to live a life worthy of the Lord and how to please Him in every way. There was evidence all over the chapel on Saturday of the “fruits” of his good work. His children and wife gave testimony to his strength, endurance and patience in his 56 short years of life on this earth.

I believe Dr. Kurt knew the secret to living this kind of life we are all called to live. He knew how to tap into and be strengthened by the power of God’s glorious might. Actually it’s no secret at all. It’s a nugget of truth woven through these passages. As his wife Mary stated, through tears and sobs, “You should see his Bible. It is well underlined because he studied and studied the Word.”

Dr. Kurt knew that the key to life was “growing in the knowledge of God.” The only way to know God is to be in a relationship with Him. And to know Him is to want to know Him more.

**“to know Him is to want to know Him more,” paraphrased from the Casting Crowns’ song, To Know You.