Worthy of the Calling

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Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of
the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be
patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep
the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body
and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called
— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who
is over all and through all and in all.

Observation:
Paul anticipated that the grateful believer would respond by living a
life which reflected his thankfulness and appreciation for being
included (adopted) in God’s family through Christ. Here he details how
that appreciation should shape our attitude toward others – especially
those in the Body of Christ. Our humility stems from the fact that no
one deserved to be included. There is not a hierarchy of those who
deserved to be in the family (Jews) and those who received grace in
spite of their background. We all are included in spite of our sins
and because of His grace. We are to keep the unity of the Spirit. The
Spirit does not direct one person in one direction and a second person
in an adversarial direction. Rather, the Spirit speaks and directs
with unity of purpose and direction. If we all seek Him, we will have
unity of purpose and direction. He points out that will require
patience and we will have to bear (wait upon and maybe even carry) on
another. That is predicated by and empowered by LOVE. There is only
one body, with only one head – Christ Jesus. There is only one Father
who is over all.

Application:
Our tendency is to go through life with our focus straight ahead on
the things that pertain to us. When someone enables us to move in our
self-focused (centered) direction, we are pleased with them. However,
when someone diverts our attention and impedes our progress, our
tendency is to take out our displeasure on them to punish them for
this offense and warn them about future interruptions. It may very
well be our assignment from Heaven at that moment to minister to and
guide that precious person who comes near us out of need. So Paul’s
words “2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one
another in love” take on greater gravity because it is actually part
of our responsibility and privilege of being in the family. We don’t
get a free pass to lie around on the spiritual couch while the rest of
the family is dealing with life. Our response should reflect a
grateful heart and a willingness to contribute to the family of God.
Our hearts should reflect the heart our Father.

Prayer:
Father, please forgive me for trying to live an isolated life of being
focused on myself when I could have been more involved in the needs of
the family. Please empower me to see and do according to the needs of
others and the assignments you give. In Jesus name. Amen.