Ephesians 4:1–3 (ESV) — 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to
walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one
another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace.
NOTE: Paul has
discussed the immense blessings the Ephesians now have as children of God.
Jesus has done it all, and we are now members of God's family. What is more is
that he has created a new entity, the church, the bride, that is composed of
Jews and Gentiles. He has broken down the wall between God and men, and also
Jew and Gentile. He has given the Spirit to each. He guarantees their future
inheritance. He has adopted them into the family of God. He has called us to a
special task of taking his message to the world. In light of the wealth of
their new position Paul calls his readers "to walk in a manner worth of
the calling." He begins in this chapter and continues through the rest of
the letter to explain "the walk." But in a nutshell, or as a thesis,
he summarizes the essential elements of this walk: humility, gentleness,
patience, bearing with one another in love, maintaining the unity of the
Spirit, and a bond of peace. Where do I see true believers failing today? I
think gentleness is lacking in some Christian organizations of which I am a
part. We seem to believe that the greatest of all Christian virtues is to point
out error or to correct behavior. Certainly some of that is part of
"bearing with one another." But what about humility, gentleness,
love, and peace? Why are not those ideas just as important? Lord, open my eyes
to my lack of gentleness, humility, love, patience, and peace.
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