Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

As often happens in Paul’s letters, the rest of this chapter unpacks all the meaning contained in this deceptively simple verse. There are three issues here: what calling we have received, understanding what that calling involves, and living it out. Virtually everyone falls down on at least one, and I would say all three, of those points. In the first place, many people fail to recognize that God has called them to come and be His children, living in fellowship with Him. I don’t think anyone is left out of that, because as Paul said, God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) Expressing God’s calling is the major task of evangelism, but as anyone who has tried it can testify, responses are all over the place, even though there is no salvation without a repentant response to this call. In the second place, we tend to misunderstand our calling, even when we come to Christ as our Lord. Everyone is gifted differently, and everyone has different life circumstances that shape them. Faithful obedience to God for one person isn’t going to be identical to equally faithful obedience for another person. This can really get tricky, because we are so quick to compare ourselves with each other. We tend to puff ourselves up or put ourselves down because we aren’t the same as someone we’re looking at, but again as Paul said, “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” (2 Corinthians 10:12) Each of us is individually accountable to God for ourselves, and we aren’t accountable for how our neighbor responds to God’s call. The third point is closely related, because it is how well we live out the calling we have received, and that is the overall point of the verse. In the verses following, Paul speaks of different functions for different people, as well as universal principles that apply to all believers, but those are actually all included in this verse.

I don’t think I’ve ever unpacked this verse this thoroughly before, and I’m grateful for the insight. As I was saying to my wife and daughters just recently, I tend to feel that I have been an underachiever, considering all that God has poured out on me. I was very touched that my younger daughter stood up for me strongly, insisting that I have been very faithful, but I am reminded of something Jesus said: “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:10) As Paul said, comparisons aren’t wise. I am to remember that my first calling is to draw near to my Lord, and my second calling is to be fully obedient to Him in every way. I haven’t fulfilled either of those perfectly, so I’ve got to keep growing.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for this clear explanation of this verse. Thank You that my calling extends into eternity, where I will be with You forever. Help me indeed keep that in mind and live appropriately each moment, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!