Paul wrote an encouraging and edifying letter to the Ephesian church while he was in a prison cell. But that’s not why he called himself a prisoner in the Lord here. He wanted to remind his readers that living one’s life according to the Gospel of Christ wouldn’t be popular or easy. Even so, he exhorted them to maintain a daily attitude of Christ-likeness, a manner of living found worthy of the calling they’d received. The word “calling” can trip some people up. We tend to view a “call” only as a special gift that sets the called apart from all others. When we define it that way, we might think we haven’t really been given any specific calling. But the truth is, every Christian has been called—invited—to a new kind of life made possible by God’s grace. If you claim Jesus as Lord, you’ve been called! We’ll explore more of what that means as the week progresses.
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He’s ready
When my girls were little and they had a question, they would tug at my hand. I’d lean down to their level, listen to whatever troubled them, and respond accordingly. Even now that they’re all grown and have children of their own, I still get an occasional phone call: “Mom,…
Finding our meaning
When I was a girl, I liked to read at night. And I liked to snack while I was reading. I developed the habit of tossing the “leftovers” of my snack behind my headboard when I was done. When we prepared to move to another house, my bed was taken…
A life of joy and purpose
In Ecclesiastes, we travel along with Solomon’s journey to satisfaction and purpose. As we’ve established, he tried it all! And he found that even the best this world has to offer was futile. He came to a conclusion: possess a reverential awe for the Maker of humanity and do what…

