Ephesians 4:1-3: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
The word vocation means, a profession, business, or calling. We all have our earthly vocations in this world, that is, our work and business, that which we have been called to in order to support our families. As believers in Christ, your earthly vocation must be subordinate to your heavenly vocation or calling.
Your primary calling Christian, is from God, and your therefore your primary responsibility is to His Kingdom under the Lord Jesus Christ. Your conduct therefore, should come from your relationship with Christ! If you’re risen with Christ, you should, every day, be seeking those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. That’s where your affection should be! Seek ye FIRST, the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all of the other business will fall in place, as the Lord sees fit.
But there are so many who profess to be believers, who cannot tell you what they believe from the Word of God, or where they stand in matters of doctrine! Their conduct and conversation does not reflect the precepts of the Bible because they do not read it, study it, love it; bottom line, neither have they walked in it.
When you go to the doctor, you have an expectation that he/she is going to be able to properly diagnose your sickness and provide medicine to cure your sickness right? That is because curing sickness is the doctor’s vocation, it is their calling and business; they have read, studied, long-practiced, and been tested and proved in the vocation of medicine. Your vocation, Christian, is to read, study, love and practice the things that are written in this Holy Bible. To all who profess faith in Christ, our God and our Master will test and prove you in your heavenly calling; in your Christian vocation.
As children of the Kingdom of God, we must understand that God has called us by His grace out of spiritual darkness and into His Kingdom through Jesus Christ, so we have the high privilege and responsibility of honoring the Reputation of Jesus Christ in our personal lives. If you are in Christ, than you most certainly should live after the example of His life.
When you, by His grace walk in obedience to His word, you are walking worthy of the vocation to which you have been called by the God of heaven. Read Luke 6:46-49 specifically when the Lord told some that followed him; "and why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" To call Christ Lord, means that you profess eagerness, willingness, and in love, will obey him in His Word.
Ephesians 4:2-3: Paul then gives us the “HOW” we should walk in our Christian vocation:
“With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
The first “HOW” is with Lowliness and Meekness: These attributes are in stark contrast to haughtiness and pride; haughtiness and pride NEVER compliment our Christian vocation. The greatest human example of lowliness and meekness was seen in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we, as children of God walk as He walked, in lowliness and meekness, we bring honor and glory to Him. (Jesus Christ) Philippians 2:3-11, Psalm 138:6, Proverbs 16:19
The second “HOW” is with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love: Longsuffering means patient and long-tempered. Or as James 1:19-20 teaches us: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” Forbearing one another in love; or as the Amplified Version reads, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another. John 13:34-35 is an excellent reference for us to keep in our hearts.
And then the last “HOW” is endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Endeavoring means: “laboring, striving, and exerting” oneself toward an end; and doing it with “eagerness.” And what are we to be laboring and exerting ourselves toward as Christians, and in the church of Jesus Christ? We are first united to God through Jesus Christ when God saves us from our sins; from that point forward, we are to exert ourselves toward “keeping” that unity of the Spirit, as we were united to God through Christ, so also, we must "endeavor" to keep the unity of the Spirit among the brethren, in the bond of peace. We are to maintain, protect, and strive towards keeping it.
Remember that we serve the God of Peace, we were saved by the Prince of Peace, we preach a gospel of peace, the third fruit of the Spirit is peace, and we are called to peace.
How are you walking in your Christian Vocation? Your conduct and behavior should be a reflection of your faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, those two words “walk worthy” from verse 1 mean to live in a manner deserving of the title of Christian. ~ Pastor James Downing |
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