Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making 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 at your calling — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. For it says: When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people. But what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things. And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, equipping the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head — Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Reflection: Each of us has a unique walk. Our walk reveals a lot about who we are – think of a shearer, a fencer, a stockman. It is no mistake, then, when Paul starts to apply our identity as God’s people in practical terms, that he chooses the word ‘walk’ (4:1; 4:17; 5:2; 5:8; 5:15). In fact, the whole focus of Ephesians 4-6 is to apply to our daily walk all that we are – our identity – as we have learned in Ephesians 1-3. The walking language is everywhere. In fact, verse 1 could really be the title for these three chapters: ‘walk worthy of who you are’. This walk is to be united (vs.1-6) and growing (vs.7-16). The unity is unmistakable: it is the unity of a people who have the same postcode, ‘in Christ’. The growing is in the same postcode, aided by leadership that teaches and people who serve. Put simply, we are to walk as a united, growing household.
Question: We are often not conscious of how we walk. This day, try to be self-conscious and self-reflective about your walk – how is it displaying your unique identity as one of God’s mob?
Prayer: Dear Father, as Jesus ascended, he laid behind him the things we need to be united and growing as your people. Please show us these truths and gifts, applying them to us for the benefit of all your people. Please change our walk in this way. Amen.