July 11, 2016

Ephesians 4:2  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

What I find interesting in this verse is the completely. I know enough New Testament Greek to confirm that the word used is the common one for all or completely. Why would it not be enough to say “be humble and gentle?” What made him feel he needed to emphasize it by using the “completely?” I can only guess, but here it goes. Maybe he anticipated that when his readers saw “humble and gentle” they would simply think “of course, be humble and gentle. We know that and are doing okay at it.” Maybe by the completely he is telling his readers “don’t stop halfway at this.” You wouldn’t start out on a trip and then be content stopping halfway. What would happen if you only paid half of what you owe on any one of your bills? Are we too easily satisfied with a token effort at humility and gentleness, with patience and bearing with one another in love? I know I too often am. What would complete humility and gentleness look like, anyway? Maybe it would look something like Jesus. This week think what God would have you do or be more completely.