Bible Study & Devotional 268
Purpose Driven
Contributing writer-Broderick Slaughter
Read with me: Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-16 NLT, “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all,who is over all, in all, and living through all. 7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
This passage speaks volumes about how we children of the Highest should behave and conduct ourselves. We all have a task and the talents to deliver the message of God. God gave gifts to the church to have people in a position to lead with purpose, care, and love. God also gives us the skill to serve and share what we have learned about Him, live a life with purpose, and be pleasing to God.
Ephesians 4 also shows us that there is a time for everything. When living in the Holy Spirit, we need to be clear-minded and have a posture that shows the love of Christ. We need to act with urgency, not to be moved easily like children, but to stand firm on our belief system, understand our purpose and act with love. If we can do that at all times, we will stand as powerful witnesses.
This devotional was submitted by Broderick Slaughter, a loving contributor to Our Given Purpose. Edited by Torrie Slaughter the founder of Our Given Purpose® in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Broderick is a man of God, devoted father, and loving husband. He is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and transitioning into entrepreneurship. Broderick enjoys art, photography and is a fitness enthusiast. He loves to motivate people to push past their struggles to reach the purpose God intended them to have. He often reminds others, “Never limit yourself, we are here for a purpose.”
