Walking Worthy – Part 2

calling with passion. We're in Ephesians chapter four with a message from our brand new series when you believe Everything Changes. Here's Mark Jobe.

them because. Hey, man, this is close. Get in the line there. I mean, we're taught that it comes out. And what gentleness means is that you live in a way that's above the fray of all the rest. It means that you show grace when everybody's pushy. It means that when everybody else is fighting for the line. And what's going to happen that you take the little old lady that that's there in the corner and you say, ma'am,

can I help you out? It means that you you give a little you you give a little help to the person that's in a wheelchair. It means that when someone's pushing to get on the bus and everything, you notice the, the, the, the person that's struggling with their big suitcase and can't get along. It means that you live with a different set of rules in your mind. And the biggest set of rules is not how I can get ahead, just myself, but how I'm going to

watch out. I'm not playing the the rat race game here. I'm living at a higher calling than the rest of society around me, and I'm living at a God calling size, so it makes me different. It makes me think different, operate different. It doesn't make me weaker. It makes me stronger. It takes more strength to watch out. It takes more strength to be gracious. It takes more strength to care about others. It takes more strength to to have some courtesy and decency in life than it does to be

rude and harsh and strong. Humility, gentleness. Then he says, patient. That's the third characteristic. If you're going to live a life worthy of your calling, be humble, gentle, be patient. You see, the root of impatience in our life is when we just focus on our own world and think that our world is more important than anybody else's world. Think about it for a second. Your mom at home, you're talking on the phone. Your three year old is

pulling on your skirt and you're trying to have the conversation. Wait, honey. Hey, mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Finally. What do you want? Don't you see I'm on the phone? Seriously, every mother here can relate. You've been there. But really, what it is, is. It's when we get so focused on our agenda, so focused on our thing that we don't consider other people around us. Patience means that you seek to have a long fuse, not a short fuse. Patience means that hey, you. You give people the benefit

of the doubt. Uh, patience means that you don't snap right away, that you that you have, that you're in a place where you don't allow frustration to build immediately. If you have the reputation of, hey, don't mess with that person because they're always in a bad mood, hey, don't talk to that person because they'll all snap. They'll, they'll they'll bite your head off. Hey, that's not a good reputation to have. I know, maybe someone told you it's a good reputation. I know, maybe you thought that

no one's going to get over on me. And I'm hard and tough. But that's not a good reputation when you're living at a higher calling. Higher calling. People have long fuses. Every time you lose your temper, every time you shout angry words at home, every time you snap out at the children and lambast the wife. And every time you go into a little rampage or rage because you're mad at something. Oh, I know the family will listen when you go into a rage. I know everybody

quiets down a little bit. I know you get your way when you go into a rage and throw a temper tantrum and raise your voice. And then suddenly you say, yeah, that's what I want. I want some respect in this place. But I'm going to tell you, every time you do that, man of God, you lose a little respect, you lose a little respect from your kids, you lose a little respect from your wife. Oh, you may gain their attention from a moment, but you lose a little respect in

the long run. It's people that gain patience, maintain their emotions under control, and they don't snap right away. And don't go off the handle right away. But say I'm called to a higher calling. That begin to reflect Jesus humility, gentleness, patience. And lastly, it says bearing with one another in love. The last characteristic is love. Now, I want to just clarify this for a moment, just in case you have a misunderstanding of love. Love is not an emotion. God

never tells us in the Bible. Feel love. Never. You can search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you will never see God say feel love. God says love. He doesn't say, feel love. Love is not an emotion. Love is a commitment that we make. It's a choice that we make as to how to treat someone. And so love is choosing to treat someone in a way that helps them out in a way that's better for them, in a way that believes that they can do good in a way that considers them as important. That's what

love is. It's not an emotion. Do you realize that you can love and not feel an ounce of love in your being, and that you can still be loving? Oh, let me say that again. In fact, let me tell you, if you haven't learned to love when you don't feel like loving, then you're still immature. You know how many couples? I come sit in my office and they say, well, we're thinking about separating or getting divorced. Why? We just don't love each other anymore. You don't love each other? No.

Just don't. Just don't feel it. Don't feel it anymore. Oh, so it's about the goosebumps. It's about the hair in the back of your neck standing up. It's about the pitter patter and you don't feel that. So if you don't feel that you decided you're going to call it quits. Hello? Grow up. That's high school, love. That's immaturity. You don't let your feelings dictate the way you operate and live. If you ran your life by feelings, then half the days this year you would not go to work. I

don't feel like going to work today. If you ran by feelings half the times, you wouldn't praise God. Half the times you wouldn't read your Bible. All of the times you wouldn't pay taxes. You wouldn't clean up the house. You wouldn't Unnecessarily. Take your kid to the ball game. Hey, if you went by feelings, you would be super immature. Thank God that God doesn't go by feelings when he loves us. Thank God while we are yet sinners, he loved us. Thank God that when we were messing up,

he still loved us. Thank God that when we were cursing him, he still loved us. Thank God that when we fail him, he still loves us. Thank God that he doesn't go by his feelings, but he's committed to love us regardless of how we are. When we were yet sinners, Christ still loved us. And maturity says, I will love people. I commit to love people. And as I love people and commit to that, I believe that the feelings will follow. That's how it works.

even during some pretty turbulent times. Whether it was the early church during persecution, or believers during world wars, or missionaries and hostile territories, there have always been those who kept their focus on advancing the gospel despite everything happening around them. And we've got a lot happening around us right now.

especially with young people we've seen at our church. Over a thousand people come to Christ and get baptized in the last 24 months, mainly under the age of 35. Many that had no religious background and are just hungry for God. And I think the turbulence of the world has caused them to say I need something. And many of us as believers, we're getting too distracted by what's happening and not focused enough on the gospel. And so I want to bring your attention back to the opportunities

that you have around you. That's what Bold Steps is all about. Regardless of what's happening in our world, we believe that the greatest news that needs to be proclaimed is the good news that Jesus Christ is here. He's the Savior, and we do not want to miss this window of opportunity of so many people being open. So join us as we continue to boldly, passionately, powerfully, 24 hours a day through moody radio, proclaim the good news of Jesus.

the time. And it's not always like, well, you're a lovely sight. That's that's it's not going to happen that way all the time. But you, you love because you commit to love. And that's exactly what the vows say, for better or for worse, for good. For for richer or for poorer. Some say I'm stuck in the poor pasture. I'm just waiting for the richer to come. But you know the commitment is made there. And it's a commitment

to maturity. And what Paul is saying is that when we choose a higher standard of living, we are choosing to love people regardless of how we feel. And sometimes even when we don't feel. We still treat people according to love because we're called to a higher calling. Walk worthy of the calling that you have upon your life. You're called a child of the Most High God. You're called to follow Christ. You have the Holy Spirit inside of you now. So living that way, start acting that way.

Start rising up to the call that you have inside of you. And then he closes up by saying. Verse three, he tells us that if we're living according to our call, that we're going to be bridge builders, peacemakers. Verse three says, make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Now notice we don't we do not create peace, but we maintain peace. What gives peace to the body? Before there was Wi-Fi connection. There

was before. Way before Wi-Fi was was invented. There was already wireless spiritual Connection in the body because I have the Holy Spirit. And if you have the Holy Spirit, we are connected to one another. We are united in Christ. We are one body. You say, well, I don't even like him. I sit on this side of the church because I don't want to be near that person way over there. Hey, I don't care if you like him or not. You're part of the body. So he says,

he says make every effort. That means give extraordinary energy to do what? What? To keep the unity of the spirit. The unity of the spirit in the body through the bond of peace. Because, you know, do you realize there will always be forces trying to divide the body, pull you away, push you apart, feel you, make you feel like people don't care, I don't belong. That's not really where I should be. People don't care. People. People don't like me. Someone didn't call me up. I was sick

and I only got one call. And it was asked me if I was serving in Sunday school. Do you realize that the strategy of the enemy is to try to conquer and divide? And if the enemy can make you feel like an outsider in the family, well, that's one of his greatest strategies. Well, I come, but I'm not really an insider. I don't, you know, I'm just kind of on the fringes. It's the old fringe lie. I could die tomorrow and people wouldn't notice. I'm in, but I'm not really in. You know how the enemy

works overtime on that. Because the strategy of the enemy is to conquer the divide, to make you feel isolated, to turn you away from the very people that love you and the very family of God that can really help you grow. When I was, I lived in a small village in northern Spain, and my best friend was the son of a shepherd. And in Spanish they say bastard, but he wasn't a bastard of church. Bastard. He was a bastard of sheep. And it was his job, his dad's job to bring about four, 4 or 500 sheep

into the town every day. They belong to different people. He would take them out. They would graze on the hills. The biggest challenge, though, when he brought the. When he brought the sheep into town, he had to cross a railroad track. And so he'd always ask his son to come down and help him. He'd have the sheep dogs.

And I remember being there, and it was always sort of like this adrenaline rush to try to get 500 sheep across the railroad track while we're looking to see if a train is coming and to try to get them across. And one day we were down there at dusk trying to get all these sheep across the railroad track, and there was one sheep that was limping along. It was an injured sheep. And it was it was way in the back of the pack. And so we started getting the sheep going across the track, and we saw

a train coming at a distance. Um, the train saw us. And so, man, we were panicking, trying to get the sheep going across, pushing them and, and, and we made it just in time. The last, almost the last sheep crossed over and then the train started going by and my friend was holding on to the one sheep left on the other side that was injured, and he was just holding her. And I thought, great, wow, we made it. It was because the sheep was injured that it couldn't

keep up with the rest of the flock. This sheep so wanted to be a part of the rest of the flock. that the train was going. And halfway through the train going. This sheep stuck its head right into the train. First suicide I'd ever seen. I don't even know how to describe the bloody mess that it was, but it was messy. And I thought to myself, how dumb. Didn't you see a train was going on? Why would you stick your head in there? But here's the thing. I later thought to myself. How much we are like

that sheep when we're injured. Emotionally have something against someone. It kind of puts us to the side and it keeps us away from. And although we want to belong, we're away. And when we're away, we're not always as

protected from the dangers that are there. And I want you to understand that one of the greatest strategies of the enemy to take you down is to try to pull you away from the people of God and the things of God and the body of Christ, and make you feel lonely and isolated and dejected and not a part of what God is doing, and make you feel like I don't really belong. That's not really who I am. Someone hurt me. Someone offended me. I don't really I'm not really there. I don't have a place where I

sit regularly. Or I went last Sunday and the place I always sit. Someone sat in whatever line he may use against you. But that's where Paul's. Paul says, hey, live worthy of the calling that you've had. And listen, according to this call, recognize to keep the unity of the peace of the spirit. Verse four. Because there's one body, one spirit, one hope that you are called to because there's one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is over all and in all,

and through all in all. He says, listen, there's only one God, not a lot of gods. We are all part of one God and one faith, and one baptism and one spirit that moves in us all. And so what he's calling us to do is build bridges of unity. There is no other God you can go to because there's only one God. We're all part of one body throughout. When God looks at the city of Chicago, he doesn't see a bunch of churches. He sees one body. So the body of Christ moving in Chicago, that's what he sees.

And so he says, work at building the bridges of unity. Because when you're called living according to the call, you have the character and you'll be a peacemaker, a bridge builder. Amen.

and felt that subtle sting of resentment that's envy. And in his groundbreaking book titled envy, Pastor Mike Fabares reveals how this hidden sin damages our hearts, our relationships, and our spiritual lives. It's interesting how we readily confess sins like anger or pride. But when was the last time you repented of envy? This bold step gift will help you recognize and root out one of the most dangerous,

yet least acknowledged sins in your life. So reach out today and request your copy of Pastor Mike's book envy. And we'll be happy to send you a copy with your gift of any amount to support this ministry. Call us today at 800. D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639 or give online at Bold Steps. Org or send your financial gift in the mail when you write to us at 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. And also today, we'd like to invite you to deepen your impact by

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with Mark June. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.