Walk the Walk

We have turned a corner in Ephesians.

For three chapters, Paul lays out what God has done — grace, reconciliation, and the bringing together of unlikely people in Christ. Then in chapter 4 he pivots. The theology gives way to application.

"Now live like it."  

- ouch - sense the tone.  That was also how it landed in the sermon. Not because it was intentionally jolting, but rather because most folks don't know they are supposed to be growing in their faith.  They expect change to just come over them.

Paul uses the line — “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” — and it too can sound intimidating - at first.

It almost feels like pressure. But the more I sat with it this week, the more I realized Paul isn’t talking about earning anything. He’s talking about growing into something.

There’s a big difference.

When someone receives a title, whether it’s “husband,” “mother,” “Marine,” or “pastor,” the title may be given in a moment — but living into it takes time. You grow into the weight of it. You learn what fits and what doesn’t. You mature. (I wish I had used this yesterday).

That’s what Paul is after.

He says Christ gave leaders to the church to equip believers until we reach unity in the faith and “become mature.” That word mature is the hinge. Not busy or informed. Mature!

And maturity, at least biblically, has less to do with what you know and more to do with stability.

Paul contrasts it with being “tossed back and forth” by waves and blown around by every new idea. That image feels uncomfortably current. We live in a time where reactions are quick, outrage is easy, and opinions travel faster than discernment. It doesn’t take much to knock someone off balance.

In one of his books (The Great Divorce), CS Lewis describes people as almost ghostlike — thin and easily blown about — compared to the solid, weighty reality of heaven.

That image captures what Paul is after in Ephesians 4. Maturity has weight. It has substance. It isn’t easily carried away.  Spiritual maturity looks different. It looks like someone who is harder to shake.

Not rigid or harsh. Just rooted.

Oddly, I have been thinking about trees lately. I guess it's because so many of them are being cleared for new houses. (sigh)  

The landscape looks so different when we drive past a recently cleared field.   I wonder - where did the animals all go?

Anyway, a young pine can bend dramatically in a strong wind. Sometimes it even snaps. But an older tree with deep roots doesn’t panic every time a storm rolls through. The wind hasn’t changed. The roots have.

That may be the simplest picture of what Paul is describing.

So, here’s the question.  Are we actually growing? Not compared to someone else. Compared to the five-year-ago version of ourselves.  Ask yourself this:


None of us has "arrived." Paul himself admitted that. But he also said he presses on. That’s the difference between immaturity and growth — not perfection, but movement.

And yesterday’s baptisms made that even more personal. Promises were made — not just by parents, but by all of us. We committed to helping raise children in the faith.

Here’s what quietly struck me after the service: children grow older whether we help them or not. Maturity in Christ doesn’t work that way. It requires intention. It requires example.

We cannot pass on what we are unwilling to pursue.

I am reminded of another CS Lewis comment on this topic.  Lewis once compared Christian growth to a tin soldier being turned into a real man. The tin soldier might be quite proud of how polished and shiny he is — until he realizes he was never meant to stay tin. The process of becoming real is far more demanding than just staying shiny.

So maybe this week isn’t about dramatic spiritual breakthroughs. Maybe it’s about small, steady steps. Choosing patience. Choosing depth over noise. Choosing to press on instead of coasting.

You know - Walking the walk.


Let’s pray.
Father, thank You for calling us not only into grace, but into growth. Deepen our roots. Shape our character. Help us become steady, mature disciples who reflect Your Son well.

And help us keep the promises we made.

In Christ’s name,
Amen.