by Dr. Paul Chappell

"In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power."

2 Thessalonians 1:8-11

You can't live perfectly, but seek to live faithfully.

Golf fans will remember the great Johnny Miller who enjoyed an illustrious career in the mid 1970s that saw him ranked second in the world for best golf players (behind Jack Nicklaus). He won the U.S. Open in 1973 then won The Open Championship in 1976. He was voted PGA Player of the Year in 1974, the same year he ended the PGA Tour as the leading money winner. He has also spent much time designing and building golf courses to help advance the game.

In February of 2010, after news of golfer Tiger Woods' broken marriage was released, NBC interviewed Johnny Miller about the effects of Woods' behavior on the game of golf. Below are Miller's comments:

"Couple of things for sure, he's damaged the game of golf. It's been hurtful. He's lost a lot of respect and his integrity is pretty shattered right now. And more importantly he's injured his marriage and his family. He'll come back strongly because he's got so much talent, so much game but he'll have to go through a lot of media blitz. He's become almost bigger than golf, Entertainment Tonight, People Magazine type of thing. He's going to have to face the music and show he has done anything he can to repair his marriage and have some genuine sorrow in his voice and feeling from the heart to show he can change and make his life better."

How sad that despite the great strides Tiger Woods had made in the game, a legend stated that Tiger's off-course actions had "damaged the game of golf." Just a few wrong choices, a few temptations, had led to the marring of the game he loved.

Tiger Woods isn't the only human guilty of damaging something they love. As Christians, we are tempted daily to damage the name of Christ. What Satan presents as one act or a small compromise can lead to the dishonoring of God's name.

Someone once said, "The chief end of man is to live for the glory of God." That purpose is what drove Paul and what caused him to write in 2 Thessalonians, "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power." He prayed fervently that God would count the Thessalonians worth of His calling.

God has paid the ultimate price of sacrifice for your life. He gave all He had to redeem you, pay for your sin, and give you an eternal hope. Are you walking worthy of the sacrifice Christ paid? While you can never be "worthy" of such a free gift, you should seek to live in such a way that honors God.

How can you walk worthy of God's calling? Consider Paul's words in Ephesians 4:1-3, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Daily commit to walking worthy of God's sacrifice. Live a life that honors the Lord and seek to follow His commands each day. You can't live perfectly, but seek to live faithfully.

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
2 Kings 1-3 | Luke 24:1-35