(Ephesians 4:1, KJV)Note three things: Paul’s imprisonment, the calling’s cost, and our duty.
Paul’s Imprisonment
Paul could have omitted his imprisonment, but he didn’t. Why not? Because it added gravity and credibility to his writing. It is like the difference between a middle schooler and a veteran talking about the pledge of allegiance – one only has head knowledge; the other has experience. One cares little; the other cares greatly. The veteran knows the cost of freedom; the child has no idea.
Paul was a veteran. He knew. He gave everything for the call – his freedom, his livelihood, his possessions, and his reputation. All were gone, and he appeared to have no regrets about it. But he also was not one to miss an opportunity to use his loss for the Lord’s gain, and so he wrote, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord...”
The Calling’s Cost
The wording implies that there is a cost or value associated to the calling – it must be worth something if one is to walk worthy of it, but what is the value of that calling? What did it cost?
To us, nothing – we paid nothing to receive it, but that does not mean it had no cost. Jesus paid His own life to purchase our salvation, and countless martyrs have paid their own lives so we could get it.
Just because you did not pay for it yourself, do not think it was cheap.
Our Duty
Paul, fully realizing the value of the calling, beseeches (pleads, begs) that we would walk worthy of it.
Walk worthy by making sure you do not lose the thing to which you were called. Peter wrote, “Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure,”1 and Paul told Timothy to “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.”2 Grab hold of your calling with both hands and do not let go!
Walk worthy by demonstrating the glory of that calling. Ensure your life is always one of power and integrity. Live so that “the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in him.”3
Walk worthy by not wasting our freedom and opportunities. Paul wrote the Colossians, “Be wise when you engage with those outside the faith community; make the most of every moment and every encounter.”4
Walk worthy so that at the end of days, God will still “consider you worthy of this calling.”5 Do not let Him regret having called you.
1 2 Peter 1:10 · 2 1 Timothy 6:12 · 3 2 Thessalonians 1:12
4 Colossians 4:5, Voice · 5 2 Thessalonians 1:11
