A Worthy Life

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians: “As a prisoner for the Lord, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1  As Christians, we are to consider ourselves prisoners, or slaves for the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid the ransom for our lives when He hung on the cross. We are indebted to Him for the immeasurable love that He showed for us. By His grace, He has called us to a life of obedience to Him. A life lavished with His mercy, grace, and love. He has given us hope that there is an eternal future in Heaven for those of us who put our faith in Him. By the power of His indwelling Spirit, we can live a life that is worthy of our calling. 

As faithful followers of Christ, we are to live our lives worthy of the calling we received. This calling initiated itself before we were even born. God called us before the beginning of everything. Jeremiah 1:5, Galatians 1:15  Our calling started before anything else that God created. Think about how important you are to God who prioritized your destiny in Heaven over all other things. This is the calling Paul is writing about. We are to live a life that is loving and obedient to God in all that we do. All that is created by God has a certain duty to honor, praise, and worship Him. Christians do this by the way we act towards God and others. We all should be reading and studying God’s Word daily. Not just on Sunday at church, but daily. We are to meditate on His Word. Joshua 1:8  We are called to share His Word with others. Matthew 28:18-20  We are to be faithfully obedient to Him above all things. This may mean great sacrifice on our part. Think of the Martyr’s who gave up their lives for God as He gave up His Son for us. We owe God our lives. 

Paul goes on to say in verse two that we are to 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.” Ephesians 4:2-3 This is the prison within which we reside. A prison of humility, gentleness, patience, and love. As we live our lives for Christ it should be marked with these four qualities. How we respond to believers and non-believers in this world will tell where our hearts are at. The same situations in life meet both believers and non-believers. Believers are to act in all situations with a humble heart. Pride and self-righteousness are how the world will react. We are to have a sense of gentleness and peacefulness when dealing with the world. The world reacts with unkindness and brutality. We are marked with patience and self-control towards others while the world is stained with irritation and frustration. We are called to love others while the world is plagued with hatred. The world is in defiance towards God and all things in Holy Scripture. The world hates God because it loves sin. 

The good news is that God forgives. Everyone who is now a follower of Christ has been forgiven of the stains of a sinful life. Jesus poured His blood out to forgive sins. Those forgiven will reside in Heaven eternally. But, those who choose to love sin will be damned to an eternal life burning in the fires of hell without any hope or relief. The Good News is that Christ saves sinners from hell. Study the Word of God daily to grow firm in your faith and walk with Christ Jesus the Redeemer.