40 Days of PEACE

Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of PEACE
Day 33 | MAKE EVERY EFFORT  | Ephesians 4:3

MAKE EVERY EFFORT

Ephesians 4:3
“Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful].” (AMP)

There are evil forces at work trying to separate us from one another in every church and every gathering. The enemy of our faith knows that if he can separate us, destroy our unity – our oneness – and ultimately our peace, that our effectiveness for building the Kingdom of God and attracting others to it will be hurt and diminished.

Thus, Paul is urging his church in Ephesus to “make every effort” to keep themselves united one to another.

And the reason WHY this seemed essential to the apostle Paul? The same reason it is today… We (the Church) are better together. We are more robust, healthier, happier, and more productive spiritually than if we were trying to work apart from each other.

Reading verses one and two gives us some help in achieving this goal.  “…lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle.  Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other’s faults because of you love.” (Ephesians 4:1-2)

We live in a world where it seems that MOST people are looking out for themselves and are into self-promotion.  Most are concerned about how other people view them, and thus, the narrative they paint of themselves is far from humble… and their subsequent behavior is neither gentle nor patient with others.

The reality is this: NONE of us have arrived yet into complete Christ-likeness.  To keep the UNITY of the Spirit in a bond of peace, we need to make allowances for each other. We need to “make every effort.”

Prayer: LORD, help me to live peaceably with my Christian brothers and sisters.  Help me be gentle, kind, patient, and humble and treat each with the same love you would use.  Amen