Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart: http://sothrichfield.podbean.com
Ephesians 4:1-6 (NIV)
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
In my Bible, this section of scripture has the heading “Unity and Maturity”. While it is worth noting that headings are not a part of the actual text of scripture, they do provide a quick, effective, and accurate summary of the section. This section makes me a little nervous. I can usually play well enough with others to accomplish a close approximation at unity, but I am seldom mature. Further, if maturity means that I will be humble and gentle, patient and loving… I have a long way to go. The good news is, God is perfectly happy to love me while I grow up. He knows that I will always be his child – mature in some things, growing in others. And, even through we’re all learning different things, we are “called to one hope… one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all”. (Eph 4:5-6) Today, let us reflect on how God has drawn us all together as one body. What gifts and skills do you share?