A Life Worthy of the Calling

Scripture Passages that caught my attention today: Ephesians 4:1-3 AND verses 11-13 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life 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 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

Observation: The broad stroke of our calling/purpose has been painted.

Application: Great people remind us of our greatness. They inspire us to rise up to the challenges before us, to see ourselves as essential participants in the grander scheme of life. What’s more, they inspire us to do so not with the goal of being able to achieve status, but rather to be of genuine service—whether to humanity or, ultimately, to God.

In Ephesians we are reminded that our calling, whatever it is, is a noble one, one to which the writer begs us to live up. It requires a spirit of appreciation for the calling itself and a certain diligence to sort of grow into it in ways that are reflective of the spirit of God (humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with others, endeavoring to maintain unity and peace). We are also to see the calling’s ultimate purpose—equipping the saints for the work of ministry.

It’s not an exact science. Many of Paul’s letters bear witness to the fact that the very Christian communities that he started or helped to start were not functioning as he had hoped. Some years ago the Willow Creek Association created a sophisticated survey instrument to, among other things, ascertain the spiritual maturity of its members. They didn’t fare very well.

I have good news for them, from what I can tell, Paul’s congregants and fellow church leaders wouldn’t have fared much better. Otherwise why would he need to “beg” for them to “lead a life worthy to the calling to which [they] had been called?” Still, he enthusiastically labored on.

These days I’m trying to figure out how I might best lead a life worthy of my calling. I’m picking up some ideas, yet many of them are fraught with various theological pickles. Still, Paul (or whoever wrote the letter to the Ephesians) inspires me to continue to try, reminding me yet again that the calling itself is a noble gift and that the saints are eagerly depending on this gift to be exercised in order that they might be equipped for the work of ministry.

Prayer: Lord, thanks for all who share this calling. It’s nice to be involved in important work, but it’s also nice to know that we do not do it alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: Ecclesiastes 7-9 and Ephesians 4)