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Listen here to our devotional: https://bit.ly/3eZYZpb
1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the 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 all. 7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people." 9 (When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:1-16 NRSV)
A blessed and tremendous Tuesday be yours ConCafe Family! And may you do awesome things today with and for the Lord Jesus Christ is my prayer for you, Friend. May we bring blessings upon those who have asked blessings from us through our prayers; so let's be busy in praying! Pray also for one another and for our own needs.
How many jobs have you had in your life? Which of those stands out as the best? Which one as the worst? I started work at the very young age of 9. I worked in the grocery store where my Dad also started at age 9. I worked just on Saturdays from 8 am until 6 pm. And I have shared that I earned $1.50 for the entire day. I have had a lot of jobs and can easily share that the worst job was working with fiberglas and I did not last the entire summer as had been my intention. My favorite "job" was serving the Lord as pastor, campus minister, and district superintendent. Each of these ministerial assignments came at the right point in my life and career. I was blessed with the right companion which made the entire ministerial journey a wonderful blessing. What Paul is saying is that we, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, have a job to do.
The first obligation of our job is to "lead a life worthy of the calling to which (we) have been called." This job is to live a humble and gentle life, being as patient as we can with one another; putting up with each other in love, seeking to maintain unity of the Holy Spirit, for the good of God's Kingdom. And with His power, the Lord Jesus Christ has given us further work in specialized areas; some as apostles; those who as disciples learn all they can from the Master, then go and live and do the things that they were taught. The Lord also called prophets, those who speak as prophets, in other words, those who speak on behalf of God. The others are evangelists,who take the good news of Jesus Christ beyond the church into the marketplace, the areas where preChurch people can be found. Pastors are another, and these are they who give of their lives to shepherd the flock of believers in certain churches. And Paul also says Jesus needs teachers, who will instruct and nurture the new and established believers in the faith. And saints are the believers in Jesus, work with all these mentioned, work for building up the body of Christ.
Paul also values our maturing in Christ, which means to be as Christ-like as we can; avoiding our acting like children in terms of not commiting and standing with the basic doctrines of faith. During Paul's day and even today, some change their doctrinal stances with every whim and fancy. We know the truth and so we must remain in the truth in love, aching to mature into the fullness of faith with Christ as our head. It is in Christ that "the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love."
So, dear friend, we have work to do and with Christ as our head and our example, we can live into a full-time worker for the good of God in the world and it starts within our hearts.
PRAYER: Loving Father, place in us a heart full of love that serves as the fuel for our serving You in honest ways of faith. May we move ever forward and upward in loving all people, seeking to bring them into the fullness of our joy. It is in Christ Jesus that we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Let your love radiate on all people today!
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
