September 2, 2024 Daily Devotion

With all Humility, Gentleness and Patience

I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.

Ephesians 4:1

Ephesians 4:1-6 can be divided into two parts. First, there is the ethical instruction, which summons the Ephesians to a life “worthy of the call you have received” and which is expressed through humility, gentleness, and patience, forbearance, and working for the unity of the Spirit.

The second part of the reading consists of a confessional statement that emphasizes that unity is the goal of God’s affection. Paul, the author of Ephesians identifies elements of unity with persons of the Trinity: in the Spirit there is one body and one hope, in the Lord there is one faith and one baptism, and in God the Father we find the one “who is over all and through all and in all.” As the Trinity is united in a bond of peace and love, so too is the community of believers.