Ephesians 4:1-16
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest. 29
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. 30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
There are so many “self-help” gurus in our world today
trying to tell us how to live. Some tell
us to live for the moment, do what feels good, pursue what makes you happy, and
of course, the one who dies with the most toys wins! This week in Ephesians, Paul moves from the
introduction/prayer part of his letter to the exhortation portion. He begins by giving us his advice on how to
live, which is very different from the messages we receive in the world
today. Paul’s encouragement was also
very counterintuitive for his readers in his own day.
Paul urges us, as his readers, to “live a life worthy of the
calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing
with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:1b-2).
The Ephesians would have seen Paul’s instruction as bad advice. Someone who is humble or has humility (in the
Greek New Testament, tapeinofrosu,nhj,
the word translated for humble, humility, modesty, is only used seven times) would
have been considered “low” or “base;” definitely not something to reach for. This Greek word would have been seen as the opposite
of a “noble spirit,” something valiant and worth celebrating! Eventually, the Christian Church of the late
second century became ridiculed for their cultivation of humility (tapeinofrosu,nh).
We too may seem weak to
others when we humble ourselves and become a servant to others. Instead of “looking out for number one” we
look to see how we can better share the love of Jesus to others through
service. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus
tells us to come to Him to find rest, that He is “gentle and humble in heart.” We are called to emulate our Savior; we are called
to be lowly in order to serve a world in need.
How are you living
life? Are you living life for yourself,
trying to accumulate the most toys so you can win? Or are you humbling yourself, serving other
before yourself in order to “live a life worthy of the calling you have
received”? (Ephesians 4:1a).
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
Pastor Amy
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