Walking the New Way

 Choosing a New Way of Living 

Reading: Ephesians 4:1–8

“I urge you to live a life worthy 

of the calling you have received.” 

Ephesians 4:1

In Ephesians 4, Paul turns from the great truths of salvation to the everyday habits of life. Faith must move beyond belief into behavior — shaping speech, reactions, and relationships. The Christian walk is not casual; it is formation. As A.W. Tozer reminds us, “The Christian life is not a playground but a schoolroom.” God is patiently teaching us to live as His people, so that “we may grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Each ordinary moment becomes a classroom where grace trains our character and the Spirit reshapes our instincts.

Paul describes the marks of this new life: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (v.2). Community inevitably brings friction, yet these tensions become opportunities for Christlike love. Thomas à Kempis wisely observed, “Try to bear patiently with the defects of others, for you also have many faults which others must endure.” Scripture echoes this: “Bear with each other and forgive one another… Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). Instead of insisting on our rights, we choose gentleness; instead of quick judgment, patient mercy. In doing so, our daily conduct begins to resemble the Savior rather than the crowd.

Finally, Paul calls us to protect unity: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3), remembering there is “one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (vv.4–5). Unity does not require identical opinions but shared love. John Wesley captured this spirit: “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?” Grace makes this possible, for “to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it” (v.7). Choosing a worthy walk means letting the old self fade and allowing Christ’s life to appear through ours — so that in our attitudes and relationships, others glimpse Him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Teach us to act kindly, walk humbly and love patiently. Help us bear with one another and guard the unity of Your Spirit. May our lives together reflect the calling we have received in Christ. Amen.