During my time in our ministry’s leadership training program, I was asked to coordinate the preparation of a special dinner for over fifty people to celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving. There were twelve dishes to prepare and a large, diverse team assigned to the work. Each member of the team had a different level of experience in a kitchen. Some were from other cultures and countries. Yet, despite all of these body and soul differences, we were unified spiritually. God made unity of the spirit so that all born-again believers—with unique abilities, contributions, experiences, preferences, and ways of thinking—can live united. It was no small task for God to redeem mankind and establish spiritual unity. He paid the high price of His Son, Jesus Christ. God’s effort in our behalf can inspire us to walk worthy and to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-3:
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We can be inspired to walk worthy. What does it mean to walk worthy? To “walk” is the Greek verb peripateō, which figuratively means to live; it indicates our manner of life. To walk worthy, we balance our walk, our lifestyle, with what God’s Word says we were called to. In Ephesians 4:2, God’s Word says to walk worthy “with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.” Ephesians is a Church Epistle, which is written to us, God’s children, to apply now in the Grace Administration. God wants us to walk worthy today so we can manifest on the outside what He accomplished for us on the inside. Walking worthy is an action God reminds us we can take now that promotes unity in God’s family.
We can be inspired to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit. To endeavor is to exert oneself, give diligence, do the utmost. We make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit. The word “keep” in Ephesians 4:3 means to hold firmly, to guard like a treasure, to safeguard. We diligently guard like a treasure our precious unity of the spirit, which God made for us. Why be united? So we can move together in the Body of Christ and receive the blessings.
We can guard the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Peace is the bond of our spiritual unity. We manifest peace by living the Word together.
Romans 12:18:
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you [as far as it depends on you], live peaceably with all men.
God understands that living peaceably, living in unity, with our fellow believers can take effort on our part. Therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised when it does. But because unity is God’s desire, He will help us succeed, and it’s worth the effort.
God paid the high price of His only begotten Son to redeem mankind and establish our spiritual unity. We saw from God’s Word that His effort in our behalf can inspire us to walk worthy and endeavor to guard the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. As our Thanksgiving preparation team took action, we walked worthy and endeavored to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. We were successful! We enjoyed laboring together and were blessed with delicious food and sweet fellowship. Let’s allow God’s effort in our behalf to inspire us to greater action to faithfully walk worthy and endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace!