Ephesians, Chapter 4

The fourth chapter of Ephesians hits strongly on the theme of, "Why am I here?" The most important thing for us to do in this life is to accept Christ's gift of salvation. Once we do that, however, more is expected of us. There is a period of infancy in our faith when we first get to know the love of Christ, but after that there comes a point where more is expected of us if we are continuing to grow in our faith.

"1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." – Ephesians 4:1-3

We clearly see here that with a life in Christ we are called to do more. Salvation is just the beginning and is absolutely necessary, but from that point we get Christ in our hearts and he begins to transform us into something wonderfully new. Before knowing Him we may not see or desire to do His work, but through the Holy Spirit we are supernaturally drawn to do more and be more for His kingdom. This is something I personally had a hard time understanding before I truly accepted Christ, but since have come to discover. I am still trying to figure out His will in my life, but some things I can't explain naturally. An example is this blog. I do not know why I am supposed to do it, or what it is supposed to accomplish. I am still working on honing my craft of writing in it. I do know, strangely with all that I am, that I am simply supposed to do it and trust God with the rest. It is an exhilarating feeling, and things in my life are working out that if I dedicate myself to it, I will have time each day for it.

I can think of no great life to live than to serve as I have been called to serve, and at this season in my life this is my calling.

"11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." – Ephesians 4:11-13

There is not a single person that can do everything Christ needs in this life, and because of that we must work as a team with other Christians to achieve His goals. Each person has a calling that when working in concert with others serves an even greater purpose. I know that God has granted me certain gifts of creativity and imagination that others do not have. He has made me a very gregarious and imaginative person, so much so that even my own wife doesn't get me sometimes. These traits are the calling of a prophet. Now I am not going to claim that I can see the future and I know what is going to happen next. I am not going to buy a robe and start saying the end is near. I am still learning what this calling means in the modern day, but I know it means that my wild ideas and strangeness now have a purpose. It is my job to serve that purpose now fully.

Conversely I know that I am not one that falls into the other categories of the body of Christ mentioned here. My wife has other gifts that are used in a completely different way, as she is a much more organized person than I, and is more concerned with details than the end result. All parts of the body are needed, however and I need to work with the other parts in order to make the body whole.

    "22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." – Ephesians 4:22-24

Once again we see that we are called to not only do more, but be completely different from who we used to be once we accept Christ into our hearts. It is not enough to merely change the surface and polish up a few things. It is a complete change of lifestyle and attitude that is impossible for us to do on our own, but it is done by the work of Christ Himself and the Holy Spirit.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. What role do you believe Christ is calling you to serve?
   
2. How has having Christ in your heart caused you to throw off old ways and become new?
   
3. Why are we called to do more if God can do everything?