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.
Most of us have mastered the art of tolerance with one another. Fewer have passed the test when it comes to bearing with one another. And nearly no one does so with love. Doing so requires all the characteristics previously mentioned on this topic…plus love. It's possible to have them all without love, but only in an empty sort of way, like pottery. Fragile. But when you add love, you’re living like Jesus.
I've been writing the phrase “practice [the topic of the day]” at the end of the lessons because it takes just that- practice! Like a ball player, guitar strummer, or zumba dancer, all of these attributes must be put into practice. Apply it when the time comes to shine. Remember the words of James, “Faith without works is dead.” Practice is the action…or the application of faith. John (the pastor, not the Baptist) can preach about peace and unity until he’s blue in the face, we can nod our heads in agreement for years to come, we can sing songs dealing with us united until we’re hoarse. But until we long for unity and are willing to lose our self in the Savior and his body, its only faith. And it will be dead.
Most of us desire the action, the application. We just seem to get bogged down along the way. For those of us who need such things, here’s a list-
-Pray. Ask God to make His will, your’s.
-Participate. Get involved in being the hands and feet of Jesus.
-Practice. Make the prayer and participation a habit. Habits become lifestyles.
-Peace. To bear one another in love, live a life of worship. Do this by following the other “p”s. And enjoy the “peace that passes all understanding.”
