Worthy Of Your Calling

Read: Ephesians 4:1-13

I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Ephesians 4:1

IN WORD

We love the fact that we are forgiven, reborn, blessed, gifted, and called. We celebrate the status God has given us as His children and the mission He has given us as citizens of His Kingdom. We talk about how we could never live up to the standards of His holiness and don’t deserve His mercy (which, by definition, is why it’s mercy). And all that is true. But there are implications to the blessings, status, calling, mission, and mercy we’ve been given. We need to live them out. And in order to do that, we as Kingdom citizens need to live in a way that reflects the nature of the King.

Impossible? Not really. If it were a matter of human achievement, nothing we do would ever be enough. But as Paul describes his plea to live lives worthy of the calling, he mentions qualities like humility, gentleness, and patience. These aren’t things to achieve; they are things to allow. We don’t get them by striving for them; we get them when we cease striving for our own agendas and our expectations for other people. When we learn to rest in Christ, surrender to His purposes, and gaze at His nature, we begin to take on His character. We become like Him. The Kingdom qualities grow in us as we release everything contrary to them. We don’t grab hold of them; we let go of their opposites.

IN DEED

That’s why it’s possible to live a life worthy of our calling. Most sin comes from our own desperate attempts to satisfy ourselves, make a name for ourselves, or pursue our own plans. The best, truest, most godly qualities grow organically within us when we stop feeding ourselves and start feeding others. Ironically, that’s also the path to the satisfaction and fulfillment we once sought by self-directed means. When we let go, we gain. That’s the way of the Kingdom. And that’s how we live up to the calling we’ve been given.

ADDITIONAL READING: Philippians 2:1-4

The responsible person seeks to make his or her whole life a response to the question and call of God.

DIETRICH BONHOEFFER