Paul tells the Ephesians to "no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds" (Eph. 4.17b, ESV). This idea holds all of today's reading together. We see that Elijah and Elisha were acting based on trust in the Lord, not trust in themselves. Paul has just laid out the unity of the body of Christ. He has told us of the way our Christian leaders build us up to maturity in which we stand in Christ, not trusting our own opinion.
This view of maturity and stability flies in the face of modernity. We have been conditioned to believe that we are the ones in charge of our destiny, that we should be ourselves, that we reach wise decisions based on the evidence we have and then we can trust those decisions. Ultimately the modern man is the arbiter of truth. This is walking like the Gentiles. This is futility of mind.
Let us rather put on the mind of Christ, the only human mind in this world which is not ruined by sin. Let us exalt Christ in all our opinions and in the actions that come from them. This will make us the steadfast people we desire to be. It will make us a good picture of Christ to this world. It will enable us to walk, as Elijah and Elisha, by faith.
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