Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

June 12, 2019

by Pastor Hawtree

BIBLE READING: Ephesians 4

1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Paul begs the people in the church at Ephesus to act like Christians if they were going to be called Christians. Not only that, Paul encouraged them to work hard at keeping unity between each other. Satan certainly strives to create discord among the brethren. So,Paul says to conform to God’s calling, and to understand the need for unity. So how are we supposed to accomplish all this? Verse two gives us the answer:

1. WITH LOWLINESS
Unity will never last long among people that see themselves as the most important. If you and I want our way, and expect everything to be done on our terms, unity will never last long. When we expect everyone to conform to us, conflict always follows. Understand that this word lowliness does not mean worthlessness. It doesn’t mean that we see ourselves as nothing, it means that we see the Lord as everything. It doesn’t mean we are weak; it means that we are strong. If we are a Christian, and we want to act like a Christian, then we will put others first. Instead of pushing ourselves and our agenda to the top, we humbly and lovingly put others needs in front of ours.

2. WITH LONG SUFFERING
For unity to last, it will require individuals that are willing to be patient and to suffer long. It is not always easy getting along with others. It is not always easy to endure through certain difficult circumstances. But if we’re going to walk worthy of our Lord, then we need to be willing to suffer as our Lord suffered. If we’re going to keep unity, we must learn to be comfortable with the fact that we are uncomfortable.

3. WITH LOVE
“And now abideth faith, hope, and charity, but the greatest of these is charity”. “Charity never faileth”. We won’t be much of a Christian, and we will not enjoy very much unity if we do not love one another. With these three things we can accomplish this task. Without these three things, we will fail. I encourage you today, Let’s live with lowliness, long-suffering, and love, “endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”.