Ephesians 4:1-6 (RSV) 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Did you know that the word “responsible” is not found in Scripture? Some might say that while the word “responsible” may not be found the concept of being responsible certainly is. Perhaps it is. I have been wondering. In Jesus Christ, Paul has found a new way of life that is better than simply being a responsible law abiding Hebrew person, and he calls others to lead this called life, one that is responsive to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Some of us may think of a responsible life and a responsive life as the same thing. But consider the difference between driving a motorboat and a sailboat. In a motorboat, we are in control. We go where we want to or where we need to. In a sailboat, we hoist the sail and are utterly dependent on the wind that blows where it will. If there is no wind, we do not move. And if there is the slightest puff we respond and do what we need to do to catch the wind. That is the difference between the responsible life and the responsive life.
How responsive are we to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? How much influence has Jesus been on our life? In this “fix it and fix it now world” some responsible people want to fix all problems and fix all people. But, we must practice forbearance with each other. Forbearance is not simply putting up with someone. It is not gritting your teeth and not trying to say anything. It is not simply overlooking something someone has done. The forbearance we see in Jesus is patience with hope. It is patience rooted in a confidence in what God can do. It is a confidence that remains unshaken by the seeming hopelessness of human behavior. It is good for the soul and good for those around us.
Has Jesus so influenced our life that we live with confidence that gives us forbearance? Bring peace. Jesus came to establish peace. His message explained peace. His death purchased peace. His Resurrection bestowed peace, and the presence of His Spirit continues to give peace.
To live responsibly is to try hard to live up to whatever image we have of a responsible person. To live responsively is to live in a state of self-surrender to Jesus in which the soul responds to every movement of Grace.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope July 9, 2000
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell
No comments:
Post a Comment