Ephesians 4:1-5 (CEB)

Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.


Reflection

Without humility, community is impossible.

Think about it: how long can any community survive if people aren’t willing to admit their mistakes, to seek help in their struggles, to offer and receive forgiveness?

All of those things require humility. Otherwise, we remain just a collection of individuals. But with humility, we have the opportunity to become something so much more.

This passage from Ephesians calls us to accept one another in love, which is really the definition of Christian community. It’s about living with gentleness, patience and humility, understanding the depth of Jesus’ love and forgiveness for us.

Our humility provides the Spirit a doorway into our souls. By admitting our deep need for connection to other people, we begin to act on a truth which we all say, but few of us actually embrace – that relationships are the most important things we have. And we recognize other important truths, too, like the fact that there can’t be unity without people being willing to make some compromises. When we genuinely humble ourselves, we are able to aside our desires so that we can serve the needs of all.

Those who cannot find humility will never know community. And they will be the poorer for it.


For Pondering & Prayer

How do you see God using your struggles in relationships to teach you humility?

Are there instances where you have been guilty of prioritizing your own desires or interests more highly than a relationship? Has it been worth it?