Live a Life Worthy of the Calling

Ephesians 4 - As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Father God, I ask that these words speak to us today. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear what you are teaching us or the things that we need to unlearn from the ways of the world. We are open to you and your calling on our lives. Amen So, the first question I have when I read this passage is “What calling is Paul talking about?” The calling we have all received as Jews & Gentiles, followers of Christ (Paul’s original audience); we are called to love God and love others. Those are the two greatest commandments, and many things can be boiled down to these simple tenants of our faith.

God is the reason and focus of everything, period. When we love him, truly and deeply, we act and think differently. When we then take that love, that overflow and turn it towards loving others, that different way of thinking and acting flows out to our community. This creates a beautiful community of believers who are unified with the common focus of love God and love others.

That is the message of Ephesians 4. To be unified in our diversity and focused on the one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism (vs. 4-6). Just like the Jews, Gentiles and other cultures in this wealthy port city at the time this letter was written, there are major differences between some of us today. Culturally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, theologically, politically, the list goes on. That’s not only intentional in some respects, but it’s also what creates the whole body of Christ. If a body had all the same parts, we would cease to be a beautifully intricate and complex body functioning atomically. We would merely be an ear that cannot decipher words or a tongue that speaks without any knowledge or heart. We need each other's differences. To achieve this unity, there are several things we must practice daily to live a life worthy of the calling given to every one of us.

1. Be completely humble and gentle;

• This means following God’s will, not pushing your own agenda. It means tamping down any pride within you. It means to be gentle with others, not judgmental. Understand there are differences and that is a good thing. Our way is not always the right way. (Preaching to the choir here folks.)
  

2. Be patient, bearing with one another in love.

• This means slow down and wait for God to move. People will make mistakes and choices that hurt you, but we must bear with that in love. Christ forgave us and bears patiently with us in love, it is only fitting that we treat others the same way. When we hold each other up in our sufferings, we can all excel and heal. This is a true act of love.

3. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

• Cultural & historical context is necessary here and relevant to today. The church of Ephesus was made of converted Jews as well as Gentiles, the significant difference in their cultures created tension at times. They argued over the rules and rights each hand. The Spirit of God had to and must bring people together, create the bonds of this sisterhood we have in Christ. It calls us to step back and look at the bigger picture so that we can keep the peace, even in the face of our differences.

• We must make every effort to keep this unity. Slow down, ask a clarifying question, then really listen to the answer. Repeat what you heard and keep going back and forth until you can at least understand their perspective, even if you disagree with their choice. Work to be at peace with one another, don’t just give in because it’s the easy way out and you want to give up.

God is “over all, through all and in all” things in this world and our lives. We can have faith in him, even when we are struggling to keep peace, be humble or bear with one another in love. God is in everything and works it out for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes (Romans 8:28).

He created this body of believers intentionally and has laid out clearly how we are to behave in a manner befitting the calling we each have.

This week we encourage you to dwell on this passage. Pray it over your life, ask for help in the areas where you need it and go out of your way to practice each step along the way. Rooting for you sisters,

Marcie D.