1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
4 There are one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Ephesians 4: 1 – 7.
King James Version
It’s so true that we have to grow in the grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ by His work on that old rugged cross, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering and forbearing one another in love.
“Lowliness is tapeinophrosune in the Greek text. It means to think toward someone in grace. I am to think in grace toward every other person just as God, through grace, think toward me.
Meekness means to be absolutely submitted to God’s plan, no matter who He uses to rub me the wrong way. I accept what Jesus Christ brings into my life because His plan is perfect ( Psalm 18 : 30 ), and He dose all things perfectly ( Deuteronomy 32 : 4 ).
Longsuffering is hupomeno, meaning that I am to accept whatever happens in my life as being for my sake so that the grace of God may redound to His glory ( 2 Corinthians 4 : 15 ).
Finally, forbearing (makrothumia) indicates that these qualities are to be revealed no matter what a person says or does to me. In other words, I take my analysis of Truth into Action; I go from believing to receiving a gift of grace to handle the situation. I reveal poise with peace in the dynamics of faith rest. That covers just about everything.
By using beseech (parakaleo), Paul is exhorting Christians to go from analysis to action, from theology to spirituality, from Christian faith to Christian walk, from believing to experiencing, from knowing to receiving. Worthy is axios, an adverb that speaks of bringing our behavior into line with what we believe. We are to walk worthy of our calling, God’s divine summons on our lives.” R
So, I may be a person who does not know how to climb the mountain but still I can be there by using His grace & the power He has given us when he died on that cross and resurrected from death. As the scripture says,
“But I will still celebrate because the LORD God saves me. The LORD gives me strength. He makes my feet as sure as those of a deer, and he helps me stand on the mountains. To the music director: Use stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3 : 18,19 )
God, please give us the strength of cross, whenever we stand on our crossway.
AMEN.
Courtesy: R. Pastor Carl H. Stevens.