Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Unity, the Foundation of Stewardship

Bible Reading:  Ephesians 4: 1-6

Key verse: Ephesians 4: 5   There is one body and one spirit just as you were called to the one hope of our calling.

DEVOTION

“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. There is one body and one  Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one  baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”  
In this passage, Paul is issuing a call to action. In the previous three chapters of Ephesians, Paul  is providing a blueprint of what our new identity in Christ should look like. Here, we see  practical actions we can take to be a follower of Jesus. Although he’s providing guidance, he  starts the passage off by addressing himself “as a prisoner for the Lord”. This is his plea for us as  he’s sitting in a prison cell: to live our lives in servitude and in honor of the grace we’ve received  from God. This passage highlights the importance of stewardship. We are not called to live on  our own accord, but to be caretakers of God’s heavenly kingdom - the unity of the body of  Christ. This unity is not something we created, it’s a spiritual gift we are instructed to “make  every effort” to maintain. Paul provides the foundation for this unity by listing seven “ones”: one  body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. This isn’t  a checklist for us to tick off, it’s a proclamation of our shared identity in Christ Jesus.  
As a community of believers, we should strive to “be completely humble and gentle, patient and  bearing with one another in love” as Paul mentions. Failing to do so means falling short of our  call to stewardship. In this cutthroat world, it’s so easy to shout obscenities and hurtful words  when things don’t go the way we expect it. Imagine what it would look like if our initial  response to an unexpected outcome was patience and peace.  
There’s a Sunday School song I’m reminded of when reading this passage. The song is “They’ll  Know We Are Christians by Our Love” written by Jars of Clay. The lyrics are simple and serve  as a great reminder of our responsibilities for the kingdom of God.  
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord  
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord  
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored  
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love  
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love 

PRAYER

Lord, we thank you for the incredible gift of unity you have provided for us in You. Help us to be  faithful stewards of this unity. Fill us with your Spirit, so we may walk in humility, gentleness  and peace. Amen.  


THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Bear with each other and forgive one another 

 

Joash Mathew  
St. John’s MTC, New York

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