September 4, 2024 

Today's Reading: Ephesians 4:1-24

Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 2:1-18; Ephesians 4:1-24

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” (Ephesians 4:1) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Paul is behind bars! He’s got time on his hands, which gives him time to think, to pray, and to write. What’s on his mind? You and me and all those who have come to faith in Christ. He has words of encouragement to build us up as we live out our faith together.  

“Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” This is not Paul laying some law on us that we “must do” to be a worthy Christian. You can see it that way if you think living out your Christian life is something that is up to us. That would be a burden too heavy to live under, wouldn’t it? Where is freedom in that? Where can we find joy in that? No, rather, Paul is urging you to live out who you are already in Christ in light of how God has called you.  

You have been called not by the law but by the gospel. You have been called out of darkness into Jesus’ marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). So, we now walk as children of the light because that’s who we are (Ephesians 5:8). You have been called by grace through faith to believe and to receive our Lord’s gospel Gifts and those Gifts are at work in you!  

Paul goes on to describe the life reborn by God’s grace; it is a life marked by humility, gentleness, patience, and selfless love. Isn’t this how God has acted toward us: Humbling himself – becoming a man to save us; having compassion and being tender-hearted toward us – giving us what we don’t deserve; being patient and not calling us to judgment but rather working repentance and faith in us; loving us even when we were unlovable? 

Paul’s urging is not another law. Rather, he is passionately calling us to live out who we already are in Christ. And Christ is at work in us so that our lives are masks of His. This, too, is all Gift – Gifts given by the Spirit of God. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). In other words, you are free! Free to live your life hidden in Christ with Christ living in you! This is your calling. This is the worthy life of faith, fixing our eyes on Jesus as we live out our life of faith together. Christ for you! Christ in you! Christ through you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Heavenly Father, direct us by Your Spirit that we may daily grow in grace and the knowledge of our Savior until we shall stand before You in the joy of everlasting glory. Amen.  

-Rev. Darrin Sheek, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Anaheim, CA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

The new Guiding Word series takes you through all the books of the Bible in six volumes. Starting with the Books of Moses—Genesis through Deuteronomy—you will explore every passage of every chapter of each book with the help of maps, diagrams, links between the testaments, and clarification points.