Ephesians 4:2

Ephesians 4:2

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Paul handed down some beautiful instruction in this verse. Imagine what our lives would look like if we employed this daily…imagine what our interactions at work, on the road, and at home would be like if we all interacted with one another with this at the forefront of our minds. In short, it would be incredible. Would it be easy? Absolutely not. Unfortunately we are fools, bound for foolish, sinful behavior. We are bound to become selfish at some point and completely miss the whole humble and gentle thing…and not even get in the same ballpark as love. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make this our goal each day. Just because we can’t bat a thousand and nail this every time doesn’t mean we should abandon it. In God’s Word, we have a perfect example of what this looks like through Jesus. Jesus was deeply patient with the disciples when they continued to stumble on the concepts that he put before them. He was perfectly gentle with those suffering and encased by their own sinful lifestyles. And he was completely humble before those that convicted him of crimes that he never actually committed. In our world today, being humble, gentle, and loving to others can be seen as weakness. It fact, it will likely be laughed at, mocked, and ridiculed, largely because we have been so deeply programmed to do the very opposite. Just look at a sold out flight when it’s time to board…or a crowded highway during the daily commute. It’s all about getting “mine” and looking out for “me” above all else. But as called children of God, we are not meant to conform to the ways of this world…just see Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will”. God wants us to follow his will…he wants us to be so filled with the Spirit that all we want to do is follow his will. But he also understands that we are going to mess it up at times…after all, that’s why Jesus was sent…because we can’t get it exactly right and at times we will get it completely wrong. But we should still try…simply because we love the Father and that love drives us to want to please him. The great thing about this is when we do align our lives with God’s will, we start to realize a peace and contentment that we could not find in worldly things. Consider it an added bonus! So today, may we embrace the privilege of eagerly serving the Father in being humble, gentle, and loving to those around us today. What a great privilege it is! To God be the glory!