Living in Unity (Ephesians 4:1-6 Devotional)

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:1-6

Walk in a Manner Worthy of the Calling

In the first 3 chapters of Ephesians, Paul wrote about the blessings we have received from Jesus.  This is the foundation and strength of how we should live our lives as Christians.  These blessings have been ours since the day we believe in Him, but if you do not realize and believe in the blessings, it will be difficult to live life in the next 3 chapters.  Visit and revisit the content of the first 3 chapters again and again until it fully grasps your heart.

Unity in the Spirit

Paul echoed Jesus’ prayer before His crucifixion (John 17:), he called for all believers to live in unity.  Unity is important because:

1. It helps us to support each other, especially since we are living in a world not friendly to us.
2. It is our witness to the world.
3. It shows others Who God is (love).
4. It supports our efforts to reach out to the world.
5. It is what God desired.
6. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

I hope you see the importance of unity just as Jesus and Paul have.

Living in Unity

Unity cannot be forced. Jesus prayed for the unity of the disciples, and Paul urged them to maintain unity.  Often, unity requires a lot of effort on a personal level.  Paul mentioned here that it requires humility, gentleness, patience, bearing one another, and a bond of peace.  Notice in this passage, Paul mentioned these qualities first rather than the ground on which our unity is maintained.  Of course, we are not in unity with non-believers nor people who believe in other religions, (we do not just in unity with anyone).  However, sometimes Christians argue too much in the details of what they believe and break away from each other when they are not completely the same in areas that they think are important.   Unity is not maintained by these details; it is maintained by the Holy Spirit and our characters.

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