Ephesians 4:1-16.
We should be inspired to live a life worthy of this calling we have received from the Lord. Paul is stuck in prison. I took this as similar to Christopher Reeves' words when he was stuck in his wheelchair after the accident that paralyzed him. He would've given anything to be able to get up out of that chair- and live. We should be thankful for this awesome opportunity to live in freedom and power-because we can. We have to come down off the mountain top experience now and walk out our faith in the valley. We must be humble, gentle, patient, and make efforts to maintain the unity that the Spirit has already made possible. Our unity with diverse believers is founded upon a common faith in Jesus as God. Just as each body part has its duty and ability, we all have talents and abilities to put our gifts into action for His glory. Each of us doing their part is how the church will develop and mature. And He wants us to mature in Christ! He doesn't want us to stay stuck in infancy, which is to remain weak in the attributes of this faith and to only have minimal development of Jesus' character in our lives. There are many different teachings and information out there in the world. We should be wary of the devil's schemes.
We must be strong in the knowledge of biblical truth. We must be strong in speaking the truth in love. We must be strong in being humble, gentle, and patient. We must be strong in pursuing the development of our spiritual gifts to promote the building of this church. We must be strong in maturing as disciples of Christ.
