Day 3: Ephesians 4:1-16
The short answer to the question posed for today’s reading is “keep your focus on Christ.”
It goes without saying that there is great division in today’s world. There is political division between supporters of the two major political parties in our nation. There is division among nations as evidenced by the war in Ukraine and the tensions between the United States and China. There is even division in the Body of Christ, the Church. But none of that is news to any of us.
The question is how can we be united in such a world? Verse 2 of today’s reading zeroes in on the attitude we must have as a foundation on which to build unity: “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” If that is the attitude we need, then the action we need to take is in verse 3: “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”
Christ has equipped the church with special gifts to help us achieve the desired maturity to be able to live in unity with our family, our church, our neighbors, and the larger community. Look at verses 11 and 12: “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” As we gain maturity and the ability to walk in unity, “we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ.”
Pastor Rod