This week’s devotions are based on Week 2 of Building Together: “Some Things Have to Go!” (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
We’ve spent this week talking about Demo Day. We have looked at the things Paul tells us to tear out: futile thinking, the old self, falsehood, anger, destructive words, bitterness, and malice. But demolition is never the final goal.
The goal is to build something new.
Paul ends this section with some of the most beautiful words in Ephesians 4: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” These words give us a picture of what the renovated life looks like.
It looks like Christ.
That is really what Christian living is about. We are not simply trying to become nicer people. We are not renovating our lives so that we can impress God or prove that we are better than someone else. Christ has already forgiven us, claimed us, and made us His own. Now He is shaping our lives so that His love can be seen through us.
Jesus said in John 13:34–35, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Notice where Jesus points us when He tells us how to love. He points us to Himself.
“As I have loved you.”
Jesus loved us when we were unlovable. He served us when we had nothing to offer Him. He forgave sins that we could never repay. He went to the cross willingly and took the punishment we deserved. His love was not simply something He talked about. His love was displayed in what He did.
Now that same love begins to show itself in our lives.
When we forgive someone, we display something of Christ.
When we show compassion to someone who is hurting, we display something of Christ.
When we choose kindness instead of harshness, we display something of Christ.
When we speak words that build someone up instead of tear them down, we display something of Christ.
When we give rather than take, serve rather than demand, and listen rather than insist on being heard, we display something of Christ.
Peter reminds us that we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession,” and that we are called to “declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
That’s the finished house.
It isn’t perfect. There will still be things that need to be repaired. There will still be moments when the old self shows up. We will still stumble and need to return to the cross for forgiveness.
But the house is different.
Christ lives here.
His truth shapes us. His righteousness covers us. His Spirit works in us. His love flows through us.
And when people encounter us, our prayer is that they don’t simply see people trying harder to be good. We want them to see something of Jesus.
So as you finish this week, don’t just ask, “What needs to go?” Ask a second question: “What does Christ want to build in its place?”
Then look for an opportunity to let someone see Christ through you.
Reflect: What characteristic of Christ do you most want others to see in the way you live this week? ho is one person you could intentionally show kindness, compassion, forgiveness, or encouragement to this week?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for calling me out of darkness and bringing me into Your wonderful light. Thank You for forgiving me and giving me a new life in You. Continue to tear out the things in my life that do not belong, and build in me a heart that reflects Your kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. Use my words, actions, and relationships to give others a glimpse of Your love. May the way I live point people not to me, but to You. Amen.