Nougat 9

Good morning

There are a few verses in Ephesians that I literally want us to sit with; but I feel led to provide background material first. As such, we will be unpacking Ephesians 4 for a while. Enjoy today’s Holy Nougat

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” Ephesians‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sometimes it may feel as though Paul is glorifying too much in his status as a prisoner. However, I suspect that then as now, the word carried with it the connotation of suffering and at least discomfort. And, while we know that Paul actually gloried in his suffering (Romans 5; , it is incumbent that we recognize that he also emphasizes the element of suffering as a message to each of us. This is not Paul’s original thesis, Jesus had already included it in the Beatitudes.

So what then does that imply for the nougat? In his ensuing words, Paul indicates that we ought to Live our Faith practically. That’s what walking worthily is about – Living for Christ in the tough times. It’s somewhat easy to walk worthy in the good moments; but it’s the sufferings and persecution that prove to us the true mettle of our Faith. I often use the illustration of the woman being harassed on her commute to church and her threat to her harasser to put her Bible aside; respond and then resume her posture. While it is amusing, that is not what Paul recommends or more importantly, what Jesus requires of us.

The call to ongoing outward demonstration of our inner transformation is for many of us, a very real challenge. Songwriter and singer Israel Houghton indicates that for some this is tantamount to asking us to wear masks as our professed Faith and our lived reality are not always aligned. So much so, we sometimes wonder whether we imagined our call (especially when others seem to question our legitimacy).

Our blessed assurance is that our calling is not of our own selves; it is of God through Jesus Christ by the power of God’s Spirit. As it is not a human call; ONLY God can take it away! That ought to encourage us in our moments of doubt and stress. Because it is a divine call, we live our faith in God’s strength and not our own; by God’s grace and favour.

With that, I encourage us all to take heed of Paul’s admonition – Jesus’ command; to walk worthy by living practically and faithfully at all times.

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May all we seek be found in Christ