“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you 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 4:1-2
When you give up your old way of life and choose to walk with God, your life changes. You begin to walk a new walk. What walk is that? Paul explains in Ephesians 4:1-2 when he says, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Did you catch that? If you want to walk the new walk, if you want to live the life Paul describes as “worthy of the calling you have received,” you must be completely humble and GENTLE.
Yesterday, we talked about a humble walk. Today, I want to look at this idea of a “gentle” walk. Now, when you google the word “gentle,” the first definition it gives is, “having or showing a mild, kind, or tender temperament or character.”
I believe this is exactly what Paul is talking about in these verses. He goes on to say in verse 3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” As we walk our new walk, God wants us to keep peace.
That walk of humility and gentleness signifies that we don’t have all the answers. We aren’t perfect, so we can be graceful regarding the imperfections of others. That is what Paul means when he says, “Be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Once you walk the new walk, it is easy to think you have everything figured out. That you are “ahead of others,” but be careful. This is a dangerous thought. Do not become intolerable or judgmental just because others aren’t as far along as you are.
This is why it is so important to be both humble and gentle, as Paul tells us. As you walk your new walk, make sure you remain humble, not thinking too highly of yourself. And be gentle, as others might not be where you are, yet.