DAY 4: Play Your Part Well (Ephesians 4)

DAY 4

(Click for DAY 1, DAY 2, & DAY 3)

Worship Song: Jesus, We Enthrone You by Don Moen, Jesus, Name Above All Names by Charlie LeBlanc, and We Are an Offering by Chris Christian

Reading: Ephesians 4

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. - Ephesians 4:1

After three rich chapters of St. Paul describing to us the incredible and glorious things that God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, it was time for us to think about how we were going to respond to it.

In Chapter 1: He established that God chose us even before He created the world. (DAY 1)

In Chapter 2: He told us that we were once outsiders who have now been made part of the family through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (DAY 2)

In Chapter 3: He gave us an insight into God's extravagant love by giving us a peek at what we have access to as God's adopted children. (DAY 3)

After he has revealed to us these wonderful truths, it was time to elicit a response. And we see here in verse 1, he elicits it quite strongly. 

• I, a prisoner for serving the Lord - This line alone is so powerful. He is saying here, I am a prisoner because I serve the Lord. But he is not saying it out of despair or as a complaint, instead he almost wears it like a badge of honor. Because having shared with us chapters 1 to 3, this statement was his way of saying, GOD IS WORTH IT. God is worth being in prison for. God is worth going through all these for. I AM A PRISONER FOR SERVING THE LORD. And so if I, a prisoner for serving the Lord see that He is worthy, I...
• ...beg you to - the NKJV version uses beseech, the NASB uses urge, the Amplified Bible says, appeal to you. There is great emphasis on the next line. He desires with all of his heart that you listen to what he is about to say. And that is to...
• Lead a life worthy of your calling - this is the important message in the verse. The AMP version breaks it down even further - live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called [that is to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior - a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation. Why so?...
• For you have been called by God. -Yes we all have a calling. We all have a purpose. And that calling, that purpose, that *life assignment* is divinely appointed. It is not something that you decide on your own. It is something that God places in your heart. It is a direct instruction to me, Manna Alcaraz, or to you (insert your full name here). 

The entire Chapter 4 of Ephesians is like a compressed manual for how we are to lead lives worthy of our callings. 

1. First, receive your calling.  Some of us already know what it is. Some of us are still searching. But one thing is sure, all of us have it. Pray about it. Ask God to put His purpose in your heart. Ask Him to guide you, to direct your path, and order your steps so that His calling in your life will be crystal clear. 

2. Know that your calling is a puzzle piece of a much bigger picture. The beauty of God's Kingdom here on earth is that He likens it to a BODY with many parts, where Christ is the Head. My calling compliments the various gifts and callings of my co-laborers in Christ. Alone, yes we can do things, but together we can do greater things. That is why this unity is something that the devil will always try to attack. But Paul reminds us in verse 3 to make every effort to keep ourselves united in the Spirit and to bind ourselves together with peace. 

3. He has assigned leaders on earth to guide us. In verse 11, he says that there are gifts Christ gave to the church - apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip us in doing God's work. To help us fulfill our purpose. These are higher assignments and they come with a heavy responsibility for it is Christ Himself who assigns them. This is also a reminder for us to always pray for our leaders. That their hearts will always be aligned with Christ. 

4. Do not be deceived. Our leaders are there to help us be mature in our faith. Why do we need to mature in our faith? Because God's Word is not the only word out there. There are so many others - and v14 even says that there are lies that are so clever, they sound like the truth. To be mature in the faith is to discern and know - "Hey, I don't think this is from God. It looks like it is from Him, but it is not." Journeying through our callings (which, to begin with, came from God) means that we should get our guidance from God. 

5. You are a New Man. Remember, we are no longer outsiders. We are now insiders, who are members of God's family. And members of God's family should have His attributes. Verse 15 says that we are to grow in every way more and more like Christ. Verses 17 to 31 expounds on how we can be like Him. They all sound so simple, and yet are so challenging to execute. To "throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life" (v22) will not be an overnight thing. There will be a push and pull. But with the grace of God, you can become the New Man that He wants you to be. 

We have a part to play in the Kingdom of God. We are not called to be just mere observers and Sunday attendees. There is a specific role appointed to you that only you can play. So play your part well. Piece yourself with the other pieces of the puzzle. Form that big picture. And allow God to move. 

And always remember that we can only be effective in the roles we receive if and only if, we lead lives that are worthy of our callings. 

Prayer: Father God, help us to lead lives that are worthy of our callings. We cannot do this on our own accord, but we are grateful that You give us the grace that we need every day to make decisions that will make us more like You and less like us. Thank You that we will endure our daily dying to self, for only in humility can we fulfill your purpose in our life. Remove any selfish desires or ambitions in our hearts that are not aligned with Your will. Teach us to walk in love and unity with the rest of the Body of Christ. Connect us with the other puzzle pieces and help us to do great and mighty things for Your Kingdom together. Amen.