March 28 – Ephesians 4:1-16
Lesson: He is the Source of Unity
Dear Lord, bless our time with you today. Meet us where we are at, guide our minds, and hold our hearts as we search for Your truth.
First, do your own quiet time with God and 4R journaling. When you are complete, come back here for the lesson.
Request Gods’ help
Read Ephesians 4:1-16
Record a verse that stands out to you
Respond to God
Unity. We all want it. We all desire it. We all crave it. Aaannddd we all stink at it. Ohhhh, you know it’s true! And today, it’s even more evident how un unified we are! Unity is not something that is natural for us. It’s unnatural. But it was never meant to be so. We were meant to be unified, to be as one, to have wholeness. But sin, you know? It messed it all up! But if we Jesus followers are called to unity, how can we do that if our sin keeps us divided? Yay, the Holy Spirit!
How do we do this (with the help of the Spirit, of course)? According to today’s reading, here is what I made note of:
- Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
- Do so with:
- All humility
- All gentleness
- Patience
- Bearing with one another in love (ya… I know… this one is hard)
- Eager to maintain unity of Spirit in the bond of peace.
Verse 12-13:
“to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”
These verses sum it up nicely. We are to build up the body of Christ until we attain unity in faith. So that we are no longer children tossing to and fro, but mature adults, who have discernment and wisdom. Built up in love! To hold ourselves accountable, the question to ask ourselves in this is: How am I representing Christ? Oooo, ya. How are we doing with that?
These tasks sound super easy, until we start practicing them, and then it can seem pretty daunting and unattainable. But know you are not alone in this. The Spirit is the invisible thread that binds us together and He won’t loosen His grip. The bond will refuse to snap, no matter how hard we are pulling at it. This bond is the bond of peace, the spinal cord of life that ties us together. This bond of love brings us harmony where without it there couldn’t possibly be! Let Christ rule your heart, let the Spirit flow peace through you and may you find restful harmony with your spiritual siblings.
Colossians 3:14
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You for You are the Uniter. You bind us together in Your love and give us the Spirit of unity to hold us firm. In You we find our strength. In You we find our love.
(Further reading: 1 Corinthians 6:17, 12:11-13; Philippians 1:27, 2:2)
What’s next?
As the Spirit leads, in the comment section below, share what He has laid on your heart.
Then join us again tomorrow to learn about the ministry of restraint.
1 Comment. Leave new
My verse: Ephesians 4:16 “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
My response: Thank You, Father, for the unity of the Spirit that enables us, under Christ our head, to help each other grow, as each of us does our part. Show me today’s assignments, please, and enable me to be a healthy part – “growing and full of love.”