7/3 - Ephesians 4, Part 1

Thank God for our independent & prosperous nation and more importantly, thanks for a day off! A lot of lives were sacrificed so we could enjoy the freedoms we now have and if you ever need to gain an appreciation for what this day means (I know it's really tomorrow), take a look at just about most countries in the world and consider moving there. We're pretty blessed.

I never realized how full Ephesians 4 was of, for lack of a better term, good stuff. It begins with an exhortation to "live a life worthy of your calling." There's a mouthful. Let's take a look at just a few of the things God has called us to:

- To be His loyal friends: "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants...but I have called you friends... (John 15:14-15)

- Into fellowship with Jesus Christ: "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9)

- To good works: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10)

- To perform His purposes on earth: "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13)

- To evangelism: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." (Matthew 28:19-20)

- To be holy and blameless: "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Ephesians 1:4)

- To freedom & love: "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Galatians 5:13)

And in all this, Paul commands us to live a life worthy of this calling. That's a challenge. And I mean a challenge like asking me to guard LeBron for 48 minutes, compete with Bill Gates in a software design contest, and pairing me with Tiger all in the same day. It's not easy but we know it's possible (Mark 9:23, Matthew 19:26) and worth striving for. Imagine what it looks like to live worthy of all God's called you, and thus far allowed you, to be.... Looks kinda crazy huh?

Again, there's a lot in this chapter and I'd like to study it a bit more. Lord willing, more on this chapter tomorrow