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.