Connected: God puts the people around me!
This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am Connected! (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 2:14-15 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,…
We often talk about finding “our people.” We look for people who understand us, share our interests, make us laugh, and see the world the way we do. There is nothing wrong with having close friendships. But the Church is something bigger than finding people we naturally connect with.
In Ephesians 2, Paul reminds us that Christ has done something remarkable. He has taken people who were separated from one another and “has made us both one” (Ephesians 2:14). Our connection to one another does not begin with what we have in common. It begins with Christ.
That changes the way we look at the people around us.
The people sitting next to you at church may not be people you would naturally choose as your friends. They may be older or younger. They may have different interests, personalities, backgrounds, and experiences. You may have very little in common with some of them. You may even find some of them difficult to understand.
But if Christ has brought them near to God, they are part of your family too.
Romans 12:5 says, “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Notice those last words. We are not simply members of the same organization. We are members of one another.
That means Christian community carries a responsibility. We are called to love, serve, encourage, forgive, and care for one another because Christ has joined us together.
This can be difficult. Sometimes we are tempted to treat church like a restaurant. If we don’t like the people, the music, the style, the pastor, or the atmosphere, we simply look for another place that suits us better. Again, there are times when God may lead us to a different congregation. But we should be careful about making personal preference the measure of Christian community.
The Church is not primarily about finding people who fit me. It is about being part of the people Christ has brought together.
Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Notice the words “bear with.” That assumes that sometimes people will be difficult. Christian community isn’t always easy. But that is precisely where the grace of Christ becomes visible. We learn to love people because Christ first loved us.
So look around you today. Who has God placed in your life? Who might need your patience? Who needs encouragement? Who might feel like an outsider? Who have you avoided simply because you don’t naturally connect?
You don’t have to become best friends with everyone. But you can choose to see them differently.
Christ brought them near.
Christ made them His own.
And Christ has placed them among His people.
They may not be people you would have chosen, but they are people Christ has chosen to bring together with you.
Reflect: Is there someone in my church or Christian community I have avoided because we don’t naturally connect? How might Christ be calling me to love or serve that person?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for bringing me into Your family and for surrounding me with Your people. Forgive me when I judge others by my preferences or avoid people who are different from me. Help me remember that You are the One who brings us together. Give me patience to bear with others, humility to receive their care, and love to serve them. Use me to help make Your Church a place where others know they belong. Amen.
Connected: Christ Brings Me Near!
This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am Connected! (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 2:13-17 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
There are moments when God can feel far away. Maybe you have had a difficult week. Maybe you have failed in a way that makes you wonder how God could still love you. Maybe you have prayed and heard only silence. Or perhaps you simply feel spiritually tired. In those moments, it is easy to believe that you have somehow drifted too far from God.
Today God gives you a beautiful reminder: your relationship with God does not depend on how close you feel to Him. It depends on how close Christ has brought you.
Paul writes, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).
Those words, “but now,” change everything.
You were far off. But now you are near.
You were separated. But now you belong.
You were without hope. But now you have peace with God.
And notice who does the work. Christ brings you near.
We sometimes imagine that our relationship with God depends on our ability to reach Him. We think that if we pray enough, read the Bible enough, serve enough, or become a better Christian, then God will be pleased with us. But the Gospel tells us something completely different. We do not climb our way up to God. Christ came down to us.
He came into our broken world. He took our sin upon Himself. He shed His blood on the cross. He rose again. And through His death and resurrection, He opened the way for sinners to come home.
Hebrews 10:19 says, “We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus.” Our confidence is not found in ourselves. It is found in His blood.
Think about that today. When you feel unworthy, Christ brings you near. When you have failed, Christ brings you near. When you feel forgotten, Christ brings you near. When your faith feels weak, Christ brings you near.
You don’t have to work your way back to Him. You don’t have to convince Him to love you again. You don’t have to make yourself worthy of His presence.
Christ has already done it.
So when God feels far away, don’t measure His presence by your feelings. Look to His promises. Look to Christ.
You may feel far away today, but Jesus says something stronger than your feelings:
“I have brought you near.”
Reflect: When have I been tempted to believe that God is far away? What promise of Christ can I hold onto today?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming near to me when I was far from You. Thank You for Your cross, where You paid for my sin and opened the way to the Father. When I feel distant, remind me that Your promises are stronger than my feelings. Help me rest in Your forgiveness and trust that I am never beyond Your reach. Keep me close to You through Your Word and Your gifts of grace. Amen.
Connected: When We Are Far Away
This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am Connected! (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
Ephesians 2 begins by reminding us of something we would rather forget. Paul describes what life was like before Christ. He says we were “separated from Christ,” “alienated,” “strangers,” “having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Those are strong words. They remind us that sin is not simply making a few bad choices. Sin separates us from the God who created us and loves us.
Separation from Christ stinks.
Think about what happens when something is separated from the thing that gives it life. A branch separated from a tree may look fine for a while, but eventually it withers. A phone disconnected from its power source may keep working for a little while, but eventually the battery dies. In the same way, we were never created to live separated from God. We were created to know Him, trust Him, and live in His presence.
Sin also separates us from one another. When our relationship with God is broken, our relationships with people become broken too. We become protective of ourselves. We compare ourselves with others. We hold grudges. We choose people who make us comfortable and avoid people who challenge us. We build walls.
Isaiah 59:2 says, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” That separation is real, and we cannot fix it by simply trying harder to be better people. We need something more than self improvement. We need reconciliation.
That is why Ephesians 2 is so important. Paul wants us to understand how bad our separation was so that we can appreciate how amazing God’s grace is. He doesn’t want us to minimize our sin, but neither does he leave us trapped in it.
There is hope because separation is not the end of the story.
In fact, the very next words Paul writes are among the most beautiful in Scripture: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).
That is where our identity begins. We were far away, but Christ brings us near. We were separated, but Christ reconciles us. We were without hope, but Christ gives us hope.
So today, take an honest look at your life. Are there places where sin is creating distance between you and God? Are there relationships where you have allowed resentment, pride, fear, or selfishness to build a wall? Don’t excuse those things, but don’t despair over them either. Bring them to Christ. Confess them. Trust His forgiveness.
Your sin may create separation, but it does not have the final word. Christ does.
You are not defined by how far away you have wandered. You are defined by the Savior who comes looking for you and brings you home.
Reflect: Where have I allowed sin to create distance between me and God or others? What would it look like to bring that separation to Christ for him to restore?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I confess that my sin has separated me from You and has often created distance between me and others. Forgive me for the walls I have built through pride, selfishness, resentment, and fear. Thank You for sending Jesus to bring sinners near through His blood. Help me trust Your forgiveness and begin tearing down the walls that separate me from others. Keep me rooted in Christ and His grace. Amen.
God’s Creation: “Don’t Sit on the Shelf!”
This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am God’s Creation! (WATCH HERE)
1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
A craftsman does not spend hours shaping a piece of wood into a beautiful serving tray so that it can sit on a shelf forever. The tray was made to be used. It was designed to carry something, to serve someone, and to fulfill the purpose for which it was created.
The same is true of us.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” God has not simply rescued us from sin and given us a place in heaven. He has made us alive in Christ and placed us in this world with a purpose.
Yet it is easy to become a consumer rather than a contributor.
We can approach church by asking what we will receive. Was the music what I expected? Did the sermon speak to me? Did the church provide what my family needed? What programs are available? What can I get from this community?
Those questions are not always wrong. We all need to receive God’s Word, encouragement, fellowship, and care. Jesus gives His gifts to us through His Church, and we should gladly receive them.
But if receiving is all we do, something is missing.
God’s grace moves us outward.
Peter says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” Notice that we first receive. Then we use what we have received to serve others. Our service is not payment for God’s grace. It is the response of people who have already received grace.
Galatians 5:13 says, “Through love serve one another.”
That means you do not need to wait until you have the perfect gift, the perfect opportunity, or the perfect amount of time. God can use what you already have.
Maybe you can encourage someone who is discouraged. Maybe you can listen to someone who needs to talk. Maybe you can welcome someone who feels alone. Maybe you can give generously, help a neighbor, teach a child, visit someone who is hurting, or pray for someone who needs God’s help.
Your contribution may never be noticed by a crowd. It may never receive applause. But God sees it.
Think again about the serving tray. Its beauty is not ultimately found in sitting on a shelf. Its purpose is fulfilled when someone picks it up and uses it to serve another person.
You are God’s workmanship.
You are alive by grace.
You have been created for a purpose.
So don’t sit on the shelf.
Look around you today. Ask God to show you one person you can serve with what He has already given you. Then step forward and do it.
You are not serving to prove that you are valuable. You are serving because Christ has already given you a priceless identity. You are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Reflect: Where have I become more of a consumer than a contributor? Who can I serve this week with what God has already given me?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the grace You have given me through Jesus. Thank You for making me alive in Christ and making me Your workmanship. Forgive me for the times I have focused more on what I can receive than on how I can serve. Open my eyes to the needs of people around me. Show me how I can use the gifts, time, abilities, and opportunities You have given me to serve others. Keep me rooted in Your grace and make my life a reflection of Your love. Amen.
God’s Creation: “Created for a Purpose!”
This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am God’s Creation! (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Have you ever looked at something handmade and wondered what it was made for? A craftsman does not usually begin with a piece of wood and simply start cutting without a plan. He looks at the wood and imagines what it can become. He knows what he wants to make, what it will be used for, and what steps will be necessary to get there.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God works with purpose too. Paul says, “We are God’s workmanship.” The word points to something crafted and made by an artist. You are not an accident. You are not meaningless. You are not simply taking up space in this world. God has created you and, in Christ, has made you new for a purpose.
That purpose is not about becoming famous, successful, or impressive. It is not even about discovering one great thing God wants you to accomplish. God often works through the ordinary things He has placed right in front of us.
He gives us people to love. He gives us neighbors to serve. He gives us opportunities to encourage. He gives us work to do, families to care for, friends to support, and people who need to hear about Jesus.
Isaiah 43:7 says that God created His people “for my glory.” Your purpose begins there. God has made you to know Him, love Him, reflect His goodness, and bring His glory into the places where He has placed you.
Notice something important about Ephesians 2:10. Paul says we were created “in Christ Jesus” for good works. Good works come after salvation, not before it. We are not trying to become God’s workmanship by doing enough good things. We already are His workmanship because of His grace in Christ.
That means your ordinary acts of love matter.
Changing a baby’s diaper. Helping a neighbor. Encouraging a coworker. Visiting someone who is lonely. Listening to a friend who is hurting. Teaching a child about Jesus. Preparing a meal. Giving generously. Praying for someone who is struggling. Serving quietly when nobody notices.
These things may seem small to us, but God can use them for His purposes.
Today, you do not have to wonder whether your life matters. You do not have to wait for something extraordinary before you can serve God. Look around you. The people and opportunities God has placed in your life may be the very good works He has prepared for you.
You are God’s workmanship. You have been made alive by grace. And God has given your life a purpose.
Reflect: Where has God placed people or opportunities for you to serve today? What ordinary good work might God be preparing for you to do?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for creating me and making me Your workmanship in Christ. Help me see the people and opportunities You have placed around me as gifts and opportunities to serve. Keep me from thinking that my life must be extraordinary to have meaning. Give me eyes to see where I can love, encourage, help, and serve others today. Use even the small things I do for Your glory and the good of those around me. Amen.