Being Intentional / Ephesians 4:1-16
Near Disaster at the Car Wash
Jean and I recently took her new car through the car wash. When I entered the bay, I had to line the wheels up with the moving track and then shift into neutral. That seems easy enough. I’ve done it dozens of times.
However, her new car has an unfamiliar slide mechanism to change gears rather than the shift knob I’m used to. When I tried to shift, my cell phone was lying on the console, and we were talking. Distracted, I put the car into Reverse and almost backed into the car behind us. Then I panicked and shifted to Drive and lurched forward.
When I finally found Neutral, one of the attendants glared at us, and others laughed. Jean and I agreed that the next time, we really needed to be extra intentional with this new shifter and pay attention to what we were doing.
Living with Intention
The Apostle Paul probably never botched a trip through the car wash. Still, he knew a thing or two about being intentional. In the opening of chapter 4 of Ephesians, he begins to share his thoughts about living with intention.
In the first three chapters, he explained the spiritual blessings we possess when we know Jesus. Then, in chapter 4, he tells us how to live based on these blessings. Ephesians 4:1-3 expresses the need to be intentional in living out our faith when he says in 4:1, “...I urge you to live a life worthy of your calling.” Then, in 4:3, he tells us to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.”
Live a Life Worthy of Your Calling
It was said of football legend Tom Landry, “He walked the walk and talked the talk.” That’s what Paul is telling us to do: given all the spiritual wealth we have received from God; we need to behave in a way that is consistent with who we are in Christ. In Ephesians 4:2, Paul suggests five keys to walking our walk:
Humility is an attitude that means putting others’ interests before our own. For Christians, this means prioritizing Christ first, others second, and self last.
Gentleness is not weakness. On the contrary, it means strength under control. Whereas humility is an attitude, gentleness refers to how we apply our humble attitude.
Patience concerns how we face adverse conditions and circumstances. James 1 reminds us to consider it all joy when we face trials because testing our faith develops patience.
Tolerance refers to our humility and gentleness toward other people, especially when others wrong us. It means giving up your right to retaliate against a person who is harming you.
Love is the glue that makes the other attitudes work together. Agape love is unconditional. It seeks the best for others and expects nothing in return. It is the love Jesus has for us.
Philippians 2:3 says to have the same attitude as Jesus and “do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard others as more important than yourself.
Make Every Effort
In Ephesians 4:3, Paul repeats a phrase repeated many times in the Bible: "Make every effort." This means exerting maximum energy to achieve a particular goal.
Even though the grace by which we are saved is not earned but given freely, living in a manner worthy of that grace takes effort. It means being intentional about choosing actions that move us closer to fellowship with God and avoiding those things that propel us away from God.
What Does “Make Every Effort” Mean for You?
Perhaps you need to find Reverse gear and stop doing something you know leads you away from fellowship with God. Or maybe you should shift into Drive and pursue a spirit- building activity like a new Bible study or devotional habit.
You might simply need to move your cell phone off the console, shift into Neutral, and allow the Holy Spirit to direct your path like that moving track through the car wash.
Sometimes, being intentional means just getting through the car wash without hitting another car or being laughed at by the attendant.
Maranatha,
Andy
