S. I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)
O. These verses are challenging to me...they contain some very hard instruction for me as a believer and even more so as a pastor. Doing the right things in life is not always easy and will often demand a great deal of energy and concentration to accomplish. Such it is with the list of things Paul commands us to d in this passage. We to grasp what it means to walk in the steps of Jesus every day....to display humility, gentleness, patience and love. What a list...and I must be honest, there are times that I don't live out these qualities in my life. I am not a very patient person, and I know that I need to work on this...that is part of my calling as a pastor and as a husband and father. So why to all these things? I believe it is to show the love and unity of our God...and that will be displayed to others as it is lived out in our lives daily.
A. As I said, I am not the most patience person. I will be aware of how God is teaching me patience and strive to live in all patience.
P. "Lord Jesus, thanks for filling me with your spirit. As your spirit is in me, I know that you can give me all patience, kindness and love. May the world see in me your love displays through my life and the lives of others. Amen."
Amen on the challenge of those words! Love, Humility, gentleness and patience..wonder if I'll ever get it really. I often get those fruits out but is my motivation obligatory? Having them FLOW out naturally...now thats a challenge
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