Walk Worthy Of Your Calling

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 

— Ephesians 4:1-2 (NKJ)

Paul is in prison while writing to the Ephesians, yet he is saying that his circumstances do not dictate who he is. He still has his identity in the Lord Jesus rather than seeing himself as a prisoner of Rome. Sometimes when we find ourselves in difficult situations, we let that dictate our feelings, but not Paul. Listen to how the Mirror translation puts it:

“The fact that I am in prison does not in the least diminish the awareness of my “in-Christ-ness”. I am imprisoned in Christ. My complete existence is defined and confined in him. Let the detail of your day to day life flow from the consciousness of your true identity and worth, as it is mirrored in him.” 

Paul sees himself seated in heavenly places in Christ even in a depressing situation. He uses his imagination to picture who Christ says he is. “Walk worthy of your calling” is expressed as living everyday from your true identity and worth.

Verse 2 from the Mirror says: “meekness and tenderness are the fabric of your makeup; this enables you to show compassion even in seemingly impossible situations, eagerly bearing with one another in an environment where love rules.”

Paul’s focus was not self pity. No, he was reminding himself that he was Father God’s child and had a new identity. Defining himself and us as having meekness and tenderness and the ability to be kind in stressful times, letting love rule.

In the past when I read words like this, I thought I had to try and live up to those words in my own strength, but that is not what Paul is saying at all. Paul recognizes that he is no longer the man on a rampage hunting down Christians and trying to keep the law in his own strength. He is a “new” creation. The old Paul died with Jesus and the new man rose up with Jesus. Even though that was true, he had to remind himself that he was no longer the person who died. 

To live as over-comers, we, too, have to reflect on who we are as a new creature. My mistake in younger years was thinking that I had to beg God to change me. No, no! God did not patch me up and now I have to keep changing. 2 Cor 5:17 says I am a new person, not an altered one.  You and I have been transformed. A butterfly is not a patched up worm. He is transformed into a new creation – a beautiful butterfly, completely different. 

The reason we have to renew our minds when we become born again is to find out our new identity. We don’t know who we are automatically. You may not feel that you are meek, tender and loving but that is your new character. So you must tell yourself that is now who you are even though you may slip into your old nature at times. That is not the real you. As I picture myself behaving differently and confess aloud who I am, I begin to walk that way.

Paul was brought out of darkness into the light. This month we are celebrating the Light coming into the world of darkness. Confessing and believing that Jesus is our Lord shatters our darkness with the light of truth. That light makes us a new person. What a glorious season!

“Because He appeared my soul feels it’s worth”