Beseech is a Greek word meaning encourage. This is genuine motivation. Fear motivation is counterfeit; it only produces temporary, superficial results. If believers are raised to motivate themselves the results are genuine. Our love for God energizes us to live for Him. Love and fear cannot coexist; we must determine which spurs us into action.

  Paul is reaching out from the depths of his heart to encourage them to walk worthy of the calling wherewith they were called. Having the noun (vocation) and the verb (are called) from the same root in the verse is emphatic. We were called by God, and His calling is magnificent. This was His idea. Our only logical response from a proper recognition of what He has done is to walk worthy. We are to walk in a suitable manner. Then to show what that worthy manner is he jumps right into it in the next verse.

  I’d like you to think of these as five steps to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. The first three steps are attitudes to maintain and the last two are actions to take. Lowliness, meekness, and longsuffering, are attitudes necessary to cultivate in order to walk worthy, but we must not only think right; we must follow through with action. Unless we forbear one another in love and endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we will never achieve a walk that is worthy of our calling.

  An attitude is a predisposition to act. It is not action, but it is a mindset that leads to or directs us to act in certain ways. It is important to keep our attitudes right because it provides a necessary head-start. When our attitudes are right, as situations or opportunities present themselves we roll right into it.

  Let’s take a look at each one of these.

  Lowliness is never forgetting what God has done for you. It’s an attitude of humility and modesty that is the first step to walking worthy.

  Just like walking worthy of our calling requires humility of mind or lowliness, so does serving. It is must easier when we esteem others better than ourselves.

  This verse doesn’t say that others are better than we are. It simply says that we should have the lowliness of mind to esteem them that way. This attitude of lowliness is an important starting point in our interactions with others and will open doors of service to us.

  The second step is meekness. Meekness is being teachable or coachable. It lacks arrogance and self sufficiency. It acknowledges dependency on others for instruction and training.

  We don’t act as if we have all the answers; we are just sure of the ones we have. We are always ready to share what we know, expecting to learn more we because we are giving of what we have. As we give by speaking the truth in love our meekness to God and reverence for Him allows us receive more in return.

  Again we see that maintaining a spirit of meekness will keep us out of trouble in interpersonal relationships, and allow us to continue to receive from God what we need to help our brothers and sisters when the occasion arises.

  Longsuffering, makrothumia, is patience in dealing with people. It is slowness in vengeance, self restraint to not retaliate, the ability to put up with people's idiosyncrasies. It stands in the face of retaliation and revenge.

  God put up with so much until He finally found someone who would believe and do as He asked.

  It is going to take faith and patience or longsuffering to stick around and be faithful until we receive God’s promise.

  Forbearing, anechomai, is holding one's self up or holding up each other. It means to sustain or to bear up under pressure. It rallies around equanimity and equality.

  We have to forbear and forgive one another because none of us are perfect.

  We often have to endure much grief as we remain faithful. That will require that we forbear one another in love. Love is devotion to God and each other. In this context, it emphasizes the horizontal component. Love is what allows us to forbear and keep hanging in there with one another.

  Endeavoring means that we are to exert diligence and timesaving effort in zealous pursuit of something. This is how we are to pursue the unity of the spirit.

  Our calling is sure, and our diligence insures that we will stick around to receive our reward. The opposite of diligence is slothfulness.

  To endeavor properly we must maintain peace. We don’t want to be so fervent in our pursuit of unity we leave a wake of destruction, aggravation and hurt behind us. Peace is characterized by being untroubled, having an absence of conflict, and feeling safe or secure. This is peace must be horizontally manifested among the believers.

  Peace is a guarding fruit of the spirit, and we need to let it guard our lives.

  Maintaining peace will allow us to build one another up.