Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT)
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
If you’re comparing the devotions with John’s messages, we’ll now ready to enter week four of the series- “Grow and mature as followers of the body.” We've already taken a gander at the church as the body of Christ and how to have a healthy body, we need healthy members. In contrast, we've also mentioned the damage a wounded member can do to the remainder of body. The time has now come to elaborate on the “oneness” of the body, to what John labeled the “Seven Ones.” They are:
One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.
Over the course of the next week, we’ll dive deeper into these things.
1. One body
Our lives, both individually and collectively, should reflect Jesus and his calling on our lives (verse 1). And how do we do that? The Apostle Paul continues his Jesus-inspired rant, “Be humble, gentle, patient, bear one another in love, and make an effort to live in unity and peace.”
Be Humble. Contrary to humanistic beliefs, we’re not born humble. Humility is something sought after, and learned, over time from looking to (and living) the example of Jesus Christ. It’s the pushing aside of ourselves (or who we think we are) to lift up Yahweh. It’s as Paul writes, “Jesus becoming greater and us becoming smaller.” Flip over a few pages in your Bible (Philippians 2) and we’re given a vivid description and definition of humility. Jesus being God, stepping down from his eternal glory to become an insignificant human. Lowering himself to our level. Then, God raising him up and putting him in the place of honor. (He never lifted himself up but always allowed the Father to do so.) When we follow such an example, we too will be given a place of honor.
In a recent conversation over coffee with a friend, I heard one of the greatest acts of human humility, a story so poignantly powerful, it caused me to reevaluate my own humility. My friend told me of this guy who had decided to walk in loving relationship with Jesus. He sobered up and cleaned up and moved forward by faith. Even got a job and some money in his pocket. I’ve worked in recovery and rehab circles long enough to see and know what happens next. With money in their pocket, most run back out there and spend it, brushing Jesus off as if a piece of insignificant lent. Then, after finding out the world is shallow and superficial and can’t fill the void, they are swallowed by their addictions again. They return to the chains of their past. And the brutal process continues. I was prepared to hear yet another sad story of sorrow.
As my friend dramatically paused, I felt a surprise ending coming on. He told me the man became an inspiration and an example of genuine humility. That Jesus became greater. And the man smaller. This man, this new creation in Christ, did buy himself a vehicle. But it was an old beat up pick up truck. And the only reason he made the purchase was to carry the grill in the back. This man would set up on streets- the streets he used to run on- and cook for the community. All his money went to food and all his time went to ministering to these people. All his energy went to sharing the Gospel through his words and actions. His humility won people to the cause of Christ.
While we’re not all called to such ministry, we are all called to imitate such humility. Humility that personifies the body of Christ. Humility that puts flesh and blood on the church.
Practice humility…
