All Weekly Sharpening Posts

October 13, 2021

A Life Worthy of the Calling (Part 2)

“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.” -Ephesians 4:1-3

 I can’t read this verse without picturing Mel Gibson as Sir William Wallace in Braveheart.  His face painted blue, he’s riding his horse and rallying his men to fight prior to an epic battle.  It’s an incredible speech and an iconic scene.  I can easily hear him yelling at the men to “LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF THE CALLING!!!!!”

Reading this verse with a William Wallace voice pumps me up!  It speaks to my masculine heart. It makes me want to start swinging a sword.

Paul, who is in prison as he writes these words, is URGING us to live a life worthy of Jesus.  What does this look like?  It’s a mistake to only read the first verse and stop there because he tells us what it looks like in the next two verses.

Evidently, a life worthy of the calling is actually very “un-William Wallace-like.”

Paul is urging us to be completely humble and gentle.  He’s urging us to be patient, bearing with one another in love.  And he’s urging us to make every effort to remain unified through the bond of peace.

In other words, Paul is urging us to be unifiers who are completely humble, gentle and patient.  This doesn’t sound at all like a rallying cry before a bloody, sword-wielding battle.  I’ve been reading this verse with the wrong tone for years.

Next week we’ll look more closely at Paul’s requirements for a life worthy of the calling.

In the meantime, spend some time meditating on these words.  Are you completely humble, gentle, and patient?  Are you a unifier?  

For the dads who heard me talk about this on Father + Son Day, are you modeling this life for your sons?  Are you continuing the conversation with them?