The Guidebook
Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIVUK) —
‘As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.’
I love instructions! Yes, even ones of the flatpack variety. I love a guidebook on how to do something successfully and working in Gas Street's Operations department means I’ve read a lot of them! Sometimes however, they can feel counterintuitive and frustrating, but the author doesn’t intentionally write them to be this way. In fact, the author has found out all the difficult ways to do something and made the mistakes, so you don’t have to. Their instructions tell us the best way to do it, in the hope that we might even enjoy the process.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul shares stories of hope and God’s grace, but we also know that Paul didn’t always live a life sharing the good news of Jesus; in fact at one time he persecuted those who did. However, in today’s verse, he urges us to live a life worthy of God’s calling because he knows what it was like to do the opposite. Just like the author of our instruction manuals, Paul is speaking from a place of experience, having made the mistakes when living a lifestyle that didn’t glorify God.
In verse 2, we are encouraged to be patient, which can be incredibly challenging. When we’re faced with instructions like this, we can fall into habits of doing it our own way because we think that the easy way equals the better way. But this isn’t the case. The Bible is formed of voices of experience, of those who spent time with God as well as those who have learnt from their mistakes, and so we can trust it is well placed to advise us on our pursuit of a life worthy of God’s calling. So today ask yourself the question, how can God guide me through his Word?
Prayer - Lord, we thank you for your word and the gift that it is to us. We pray that you would speak to us through it, wherever we need guidance this week, as we continue to trust you.