Ephesians 4:3

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The best aspect of a round of golf is that for four fours nothing else in the world matters. Our minds can be cleared of all stresses. The same is true with any hobby or activity we regularly enjoy away from our usual vocation whether it be working on old cars or even doing yard work. We are able to detach ourselves from any of our troubles. However, if we do not have the presence of the Holy Spirit, the trials of life instantly reappear once the activity is completed.

This same calmness is present when we worship God in a true spirit. This calmness, however, is an enduring peace. The troubles of the world fade away. The heartbreaks are forgotten. This desire of the Holy Spirit is one of unity and peace because we forget self and emphasize our Lord.

When we continually dwell within the Holy Spirit, our contentions cease and our problems are solved. How can this be? Paul taught in the previous verse of the desired characteristics of the Spirit. In Ephesians 4;2, we are told to strive for “lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.” Strife and contention are unable to live in an environment of forgiveness and humbleness. These characteristics put self aside and emphasize our Lord. It is He who gives us this desire of unity and peace. When we are saved, our mind is “renewed in the spirit.” The old desires pass away and our “want to’s” change.

The more spiritually mature we become, the more we appreciate and desire to be in His presence. The closer we get to our eternal determination, the greater we desire the presence of Him in our lives. Spiritual maturity allows the believer to come to the realization that peace and unity cannot dwell exist within the flesh.

In this fourth chapter of Ephesians, Paul emphasized that the Holy Spirit changes the conversations of man which he deemed “corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” Notice when we are idle or have nothing else to talk about how our conversations shift to gossip or speculations.

The same contamination is prevalent with the stale or lukewarm local church. The Holy Spirit energizes the body of Christ into one of activity. There is no time for self when we are “busy about the Father’s business.” Our own desires, our own faults, and our own disappointments fade when we sell out to the Holy Spirit. It is then when we are “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”