Written ~ 10-25-2023
Ephesians 4:1-6
(New Living Translation)
1 “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.
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.”
(The Message)
1-3 “In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel.
I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere.
And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
4-6 You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly.
You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.
The urgency in Paul’s words and the yearning for us to understand his message is tangible. He wants us to get it! He writes, “I beg you,” those are not passive words, they have great passion behind them. We need to listen and pay attention. There is a lot for us to hear:
- Lead a life worthy of your calling
- God has called you
- Always be humble
- Always be gentle
- Be patient with one another
- Be united in the Holy Spirit
- We are of one Body and One Spirit
- We have been called to one glorious hope for the future
- There is ONE LORD
- There is ONE FAITH
- There is ONE BAPTISM
- There is ONE GOD and FATHER of all
When your heart and mind have been given over to the Lord completely, these verses resonate through your entire body. There is power in knowing that you belong to the One and Only God and Father in Heaven. We have purpose, we have life, we have meaning. God has asked each of us to love one another, to be united in His Spirit, but not only that we are to live a life worthy to receive and run passionately with everything God has called us to do for His Glory! We should be excited to see what God has instore for us each and every day! Think of every situation we go through as a test from the Lord to see if we will apply Paul’s words to anything that comes our way… Be Humble, Be Gentle, Be Patient…
As believers we are to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to all nations. Now, you might want to believe that this doesn’t apply to you because you rarely leave your neighborhood…you’ll never “go to all nations.” Well, it may be that your neighbors, your family, your friends have become the “nation” God has called you to, sharing the Gospel Message and showing the love of the Lord is your calling matter where God has placed you. As believers we are all called to spread the word that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior to the world!
Let’s think about the Apostle Paul for a moment. At the time he is writing these words, he is in prison. But does the fact that he is chained up and imprisoned stop him from sharing the Gospel? Absolutely not! We actually get some of the most compelling and instructional books in the New Testament from Paul while he is in prison. Knowing this. Really think about this fact… There shouldn’t be any reason or excuse that we can honestly make for any lack of enthusiasm, or the lack of passion for studying the Word of God. I get it! Having a busy schedule is one of the main reasons I hear that keeps us from digging into the Scriptures, learning and studying. And I know this is a great challenge for some, but when I hear the Apostle Paul writing to me from prison saying, “I beg you,” it really strikes me between the eyes! Knowing what the calling is on your life is an important detail to explore. And the way to do that is to be in the Word of God.
I believe this is why I have such an urgency in my own heart to say to my family, to my friends, “I beg you,” get into the Word of God, learn about who the Lord Jesus Christ is, see how Glorious our Father in heaven is, capture a glimpse of the power we have by the leading of the Holy Spirit! In verse 4:3, Paul writes, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” When you and I unite our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can make a difference! If we are trying to do “life” all on our own, struggling to make plans, we seem to flounder about without much purpose, that’s where being united helps greatly! When you have one person who is doing all of the encouragement and trying desperately to help another see the path that leads to the Lord and the other person is pushing back with continued excuses, it will become a ceaseless, “I beg you…”
Paul saw his fellow believers struggling at times, he knew they weren’t always following God’s calling and their unity was dwindling. So, even though most of the time he couldn’t be there in person to show his love and encouragement, he wrote. He wrote constantly, he wanted to make sure he could motivate the churches and the believers to keep up the good work and spread the Gospel Message!
What if you feel like you are on the outskirts looking in? You don’t understand what the hub-bub is all about. You haven’t decided if the Lord really needs to be a part of your life. So there you are, watching, listening, but you just don’t get it. What you only want to see is hypocrisy and you want to find ways to prove your stance of rebellion is just fine with you. But do you know what you are actually seeing? You are watching other humans make mistakes, you are listening to people trying to grasp the meaning of having Jesus as their Lord and Savior and they may mess up from time to time. But I want to you to hear the urgency in the words, “I beg you…” Come, really tune in, open your heart, open your mind, push past the “humanness” you see and put your gaze on what the Lord can do, not only in other people’s lives, but in yours as well.
Salvation is tangible. The Lord is near. Call out to Him today. Won’t you decide today and realize Salvation is what you have been missing? If this is you, pray this prayer of Salvation!
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! And just as Jesus said, “Peace be with you.”
It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.
~AMEN~