Daily Reading: Ephesians 2
Scripture Focus: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. (Ephesians 2.19)
Devotional Thought: While Ephesians 2.8-9 (For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast) is one of the most oft-quoted statements of Paul, Verse 19 also bears repeating: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” What an amazing, grace-filled truth! In Jesus Christ, we are all part of the family of God!
As I thought about this, I remembered how I felt forty-three years ago when I spent Christmas with Lana's family. It was great. And not just Christmases, either. I still remember how amazing it was to feel like I belonged with them. Nick, Pauline, Al, Jen, Ken, and Beck… They accepted me as part of the family. I – in all my abnormalcy – became a part of their normalcy. I – in all my “Ohio-ness” – became a part of their “West Virginia-ness.” (I think that was harder for them to accept than my dysfunction!) I was no longer a foreigner to the Moore clan. Through my relationship with Lana, I was part of the family, included in the family discussions and even the family decisions. It felt good. It felt right. Oh, I was still a little strange, but I was not a stranger!
Today, through Jesus Christ, we are part of the family of God. We have a place at the family table. We have a part in the family decisions. We have a home. We may be a little strange, but we are not strangers anymore!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that in you "the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Amen. (Ephesians 2.21-22)
Psalm of the Day: 12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. 14 He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat. 15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. 17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? 18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. 19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD! (Psalms 147:12-20)
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