This verse struck me today as I was reading Ephesians which Paul was penning from prison.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Ephesians 4:1

I don’t feel this is a new thought or deeply profound but I wish more of us who are followers of Jesus could grasp this and live it out.

I think the first thing we read to realise is the second part of the verse; we have received a calling. We haven’t simply been saved for heaven, we have been saved for earth as well. We have a purpose, a reason for being here; Jesus has things for us to do. This isn’t a pressure thing, its really exciting. No one wants to live a life without purpose or significance – we all want to make a difference.

Once we grab the fact that we are called we can begin to think about the impact that this has on the lives we lead. Is my life worthy of that calling? Does it reflect the priorities of someone who has been called to make disciples of all nations? This thought should help us continue to build lives that reflect Christ in His fullness.

Too often we get this wrong.

One way we do that is that we mix the order up. Too many believers think we need to behave well enough in order to receive a calling in their life. This leads to us simply trying to behave in order to be released. But that kind of behaviour is not what Jesus called us to. it ends up in religion or perfomance in order to get noticed.

The other we get this wrong is by thinking because we have been called and have a purpose we no longer need to behave or pursue holiness because God is using us anyway. This leads us to live as we want because we think there are no consequences to our actions.

Neither of these approaches will lead us into the life Jesus has for us. Lets remember that we are called and ensure we live up to that calling.