DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-10-19
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Ephesians 4:1-3
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹ 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. ² Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ³ Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

APPLICATION: We live in a world where we often feel a tug-of-war battling in our minds and in our decision making. If we don’t recognize this, then we had best draw close to God so that our minds might be influenced by Him and His teachings. If we recognize the tug-of-war, then I believe that we must quickly discern the voice of God and follow His commands. Paul gave a similar reminder to the church he started in Ephesus, and the Holy Spirit spoke very vividly to me on this today. Think about this example: what sense does it make to those we come into contact with, if we say that we are married, yet they find us at a party or a dance or a club by ourselves, and we are hot on the trail of the opposite sex? We are acting more like a single person than someone who vowed at the altar to dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to our spouse. When we soak in the intent of Paul’s plea to his church members, it is plain to see that he had very similar concerns. When we remove the cobwebs of our worldly influences, we could also plainly see that our churches today face very similar challenges and could use someone like ‘Paul’ to be open and honest with them about their actual condition, versus their taught principles. Here are some characteristics that Paul pleaded with his church members about, and that I believe will help open our eyes to our current condition, while steering us towards Christlikeness:
-*- Be Humble ~ Let’s remember that it’s not all about us. It’s God that we serve and aim to uplift, promote and serve.
-*- Be Gentle ~ Jesus was so gentle that He was thought to be dumb, since He chose to not speak while under fire by the authorities. We don’t need to have the last say on everything.
-*- Be Patient ~ Fellow church members may not get the message as quickly as we do, and even if they do, they may not act on it as quickly as we do. There are times that we must learn to be patient and let God’s word penetrate the hearts of His people.
-*- Stay United ~ I see this as an end goal. If we concentrate on this while fulfilling the work of the Master, we will always hear His commands, see His love and goodwill fulfilled and we will always endeavor to walk in His footsteps.
Paul taught that as we strive for the above, we will improve our efforts to live a life worthy of the calling of our Master and Lord. Oh that He would find moldable saints that He could work with and use for His glory!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In verse 3, ‘Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit’. Lord, in as much as it depends on me, may I always live to reflect the love, hope and peace of Jesus in everything that I believe, do and speak.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for allowing Your word to speak wisdom into our minds and hearts, and for directing us to live like a child of the King that we belong to. Paul dealt with this back in the Ephesian church, and yet today it seems like this principle is still very much needed in our churches today. It’s not that we are uneducated or dumb, but rather it’s the voice of Satan that works on us to disrupt any good work that we might do in Your name and for Your sake. Thankfully You are still dealing in the lives of Your children today, so Lord, I pray that it would be evident to the world who sits, looking in on Your saints, that You are very much alive and especially active in the life of Your church. Please tear down every act of Satan to disrupt Your work among us. May our lives be so much like that of Jesus, that the unsaved will reach out and accept Him as Lord and Savior before it is eternally too late. Bless Your people once again Lord and accomplish Your work through Your church. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!