Ephesians 4:1-3 Walk in the Manner

Ephesians 4:1-3 (Amplified Bible) I, THEREFORE, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service, Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another. Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.

When I read this today, I was reading my small pocket Bible which is the English Standard Version (ESV). When I looked at Bible Gateway to copy and paste it, the default translation was NIV. NIV used the phrase "live the life" while the ESV used "walk in a manner". Those were enough different that I wanted to see other translations. The Amplified Bible which I used above really completes the sentiment.

Paul is asking/reminding/urging the Ephesians to follow appropriate to Who is leading, act according to the divine activity, be someone who reflects the wonderful call. I think Paul is calling for us to do the same. One translation says "to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called". Another says "live the life worthy of the call you have received". The amplified Bible inserts additional words to more fully explain the original context of the word so it says "[divine] calling" and adds "[with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service, Living as becomes you].

How can we possibly live a life worthy of the calling from God? How can we walk in a manner worthy of the call? Fortunately, God sent Jesus so that we can attempt to walk and live worthy of the call. Jesus intercedes so that God can overlook, better yet, forgive our missteps, our errors in judgment, our arrogance, and the times we do not walk in a manner worthy of the calling, the times when we are not humble, are selfish, lack gentleness and mildness.

Besides interceding for us, Jesus also helps us to see those times when we are not walking in a manner of the call, or living a life that reflects the divinity of the call. Jesus, though, walked in a way that reflected God's call. Jesus shows us how to walk the way that is worth and how to live with humility, gentleness and mildness.

Much of this passage tells us how live up to the call. Have patience. Be humble, mild and gentle. Bear with one another. Make allowances for people. (When we make allowances for people, we are usually more humble - choosing not to let things bother us or stir our egos, putting aside possible insults or hurtful ideas. Ever notice how easy it is to get our feelings hurt? That is usually an ego problem and is a possible place for us to insert a dose of humility.) Be eager and strive for harmony - instead of accentuating the differences. Recognize the power of the Spirit who binds us in peace, when we allow it.

That is a tall order. But it is absolutely doable. Jesus left us His Spirit so we can do it. We can live a life worthy of the extraordinarily divine calling to which we've been called. God would not have called us if we weren't able to accomplish what He wants us to accomplish, to live worthy of His call. Give God the glory and it shall happen.

Jesus, Spirit, be with me to nudge me into service and a walk worthy of your call on my life. Help me bring glory to You. Amen

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