Everyday Christianity: First Things (7)
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.Ephesians 4.1-3
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory. Psalm 63.1, 2
Ready for the day!
The Christian life—every day new and brimming with opportunities to know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ with joy and gladness!
We live our Christian lives one day at a time, looking to God to show us the work He has prepared for us (Ps. 90.16, 17), grant us grace sufficient for every need and contingency (Matt. 6.34, 2 Cor. 13.9; Heb. 4.16), and bring us more abundantly into the Kingdom and glory to which He has called us (1 Thess. 2.12). We embrace the fact that He has sent us into the world to make a Jesus-like impact on the people we will see this day (Jn. 20.21). Our focus is on being a disciple and making disciples for the glory of the Lord. And, as we contemplate and prepare for our individual calling, we seek the power of God’s own Spirit to make us willing and able to fulfill His Word and know His pleasure, exceedingly and abundantly above all that we previously dared to ask or think (Phil. 2.13; Eph. 3.20).
I mean, what a life! Every day of our lives!
And one of the most encouraging aspects of living every day for Jesus is that we are not alone in this endeavor. We are members of the Body of Christ, joined together by His love, and bonded in His peace by the Holy Spirit. As we prepare for the day ahead, rising early to meet with the Lord and seek His refreshing Presence and grace, we are one with untold millions of other believers, scattered like Kingdom seed over the whole field of the world. We are part of a power-and-glory movement that can turn the world rightside-up for Jesus.
Unity in the Spirit
Paul urged the Ephesians to work hard at maintaining—and thus realizing—the unity of the Spirit which we enjoy in the one Body of our Lord. It is a unity of peace, not like the world knows, but the peace of Jesus, the peace which gives rise to a hope that does not disappoint, because we share together in the love of God (Rom. 5.1-5). Where hope abounds—the assurance, indeed, the certainty of seeing Jesus and dwelling with Him forever—holy spiritual energy abounds for every good work of every day.
We are one in the worldwide Body of Christ, and we share in the fellowship of departed saints, who even now carry our prayers around like bowls of incense, adding their own voices and urgency before the Father. Those who worked so faithfully in the past to ensure that the Gospel would come down to us continue their work on our behalf, glad and rejoicing to adorn our prayers with their own continuous praise (Rev. 4, 5). We dwell in the midst of departed witnesses whose example and encouragement surrounds us every day to urge us on in our calling (Heb. 12.1).
And we are one with the believers we will see today, beginning in our home and fanning out through our neighborhood, workplace, school, gym, coffee shop, and other places. Will we greet them with the hope and love of Jesus? Seek to learn from them more about Jesus and our walk with Him? And offer ourselves in word and deed to encourage them in their journey with the Lord?
Sounds like hard work, doesn’t it? And it is, yet Paul instructs us to take up this hard work and make the most every day of our participation in the One Body of the Lord.
So, how can we do this?
Working at oneness
First, let’s remember how important it is that we work hard at our oneness with other believers. Jesus prayed, “I do not pray for these [His disciples] alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (Jn. 17.20, 21). Our witness for Jesus begins in the oneness we share in His Body. The stronger and more visible our unity, the more our witness for Jesus will bear the fruit of new life in others.
Allow me to suggest four ways to work hard and consistently—every day—at strengthening our oneness in the Lord.
First, praise the Lord for His Church. Mention particular saints who, though departed, are still urging us on by their example, writings, or other work. Let us praise God that we are part of a glorious, ages-spanning family and household. What a blessing!
Second, pray for your fellow believers, those living today, beginning with ones you know and working outward to your church, the church in our country, and the Body of believers worldwide. Remember especially those who are suffering for their faith in Jesus.
Third, plan to do something this day and every day to affirm, enjoy, encourage, and assist the saints you know you will see.
Finally, practice oneness to the full when you are together with the saints. Whether in worship, Bible study group, some ministry activity—whatever you do—do it with gladness and gusto, giving glory to God!
We’re not alone in this life, and that’s one of the most exciting and potentially transforming aspects of everyday Christianity.
For reflection or discussion
1. For which particular saints of the past will you give praise to God? Why them?
2. What can you do to pray more effectively for the believers in your church and community?
3. How can you bring all four of those activities together as you begin every day of your walk with and work for the Lord.
Next Steps—Transformation: Begin immediately to practice the four disciplines mentioned about. Let this be part of how you begin every day of your everyday Christianity.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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This week: Our Read Moore podcast is from the book, Patrick: A Devotional History. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are studying examples of the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. And in the daily Scriptorium column we are working our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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