“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” Eph. 4:1-7
I woke up this morning and prayed…Lord Jesus, some of us grew up thinking of the Gospel primarily as how we begin a relationship with you—the welcome, the entrance, and the door to eternal life. The good news is, it’s that and so much more.
You make it clear to us that the Gospel, as Tim Keller and so many others have said through the years, is the “A-to-Z” of life because you are the Alpha and Omega—the beginning, middle, end of all things. For you are our Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and LORD. You enable us to see this Gospel in the Old Testament clear through into the New Testament. And it is this Gospel that we have been called to proclaim and to live out in our day to day lives to the glory of God.
Father, this text says many things but this phrase “… to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” is so important because we need to view every sphere of life in terms of our calling as a Christians. As we go to the Word in the power of the Spirit, help us to make these questions our first thoughts and queries in the morning and throughout the day:
“What are the implications of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension for… this relationship, this new opportunity, this challenging situation, this… (anything and everything)?”
NOT… “What would Jesus do?” We know what Jesus did. It is written down for us to know. Rather we should ask, “How can I emulate what Jesus did?” “How is our Lord calling us to think about money and time, the beauty of creation and the brokenness in our culture?”
“How does Jesus’ present and coming Kingdom compel us to care about the salvation of our family, friends and neighbors, the evils humans do to one another, local and global missions, and the health of his church?”
Sometimes, I think, this is just too much to think about early in the morning. Then, please help me to bring these to mind throughout the day!
Indeed, we need your help… “… to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” And I also understand that this doesn’t always mean I will always be the “sweetest” person in the room, but nobody will be more aware and more focused on a redemptive outcome than when we ask these questions in faith expecting your Spirit to show us the answers to how we are to be worthy of our calling all because of His work in our lives.
Now as I close this prayer, help me and us to remember this… if we don’t remember anything else. This is what you through Christ have done for us today to be able to walk in a way that glorifies you, “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” It is with Your grace that I/we can walk in Jesus’ steps. In His powerful name, Amen!
God bless.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
