A Word from Ephesians 4

What do you think you’d have to do today to “live a life worthy of your calling” as a follower of Jesus? Is there a certain amount of scripture you’d have to read. or a certain amount of time you’d have to spend in prayer? Would “living a life worthy” mean writing a check to the church or giving money to someone in need? Would “worthy living” mean sharing your testimony, or speaking out against the evils of the world?

Well, I think we can agree that all of these can be good things. And I suspect that our fruitfulness as Christians would be diminished without them. And yet, in today’s word from Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul “focuses” worthy living a different way. “As a prisoner for the Lord,” he says, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (4:1-3; emphasis added)

Now, when I think about this kind of “worthy living”—a life of humility and gentleness, a life of patience, love and peace—I think about Jesus! And in fact, if you continue reading in this chapter, Paul describes the ultimate goal of “living a life worthy of your calling” in terms of “becoming mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” And so there’s no doubt that “living like Jesus would if he was in our place” is what Paul has in mind when he talks about worthy living.

And very significantly, that goal can only be reached…together! If you read this entire passage (4:1-16), at the heart of it stands a call to embrace our place in a fellowship in which we’re bound together by “one body and one spirit…one Lord and one faith…one God and Father of all.” (4:4-6)

So maybe the better question for this morning is “What would you have to do today to practice the way of Jesus; and how could you partner with others to make that happen?”

So let’s live a life worthy today. And may God’s kingdom enter the world a little more fully as a result. Amen.