rizen1
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In the Family
NLT Parenting devotional.
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
Ephesians 2:19-20
In preparation for an assignment overseas, our family was given approximately sixty hours of crash-course French. We learned a few words and phrases and a few pointers in etiquette but certainly not enough to pass as natives. Our tutor had prepared us for some cultural differences and had made one thing very clear: We would never be invited inside anyone’s home. There were certain places we as foreigners were simply not welcome, and a private home was one of them. We could never earn the trust necessary for such hospitality. Even becoming French citizens would not earn us an invitation “inside” because we were not and never would be considered French. She announced this as an absolute cultural commandment.
Imagine how honored we felt when we were asked in for a cup of espresso by our neighbor down the street!
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a letter of enthusiastic encouragement to Gentile believers. He has made certain that believers clearly understand what Jesus accomplished through his death. The gifts that we now enjoy because Jesus has accepted us are so numerous and so profound that it is easy to imagine Paul’s excitement as he writes. Through Jesus Christ, we have been given citizenship. Not only are we members of God’s kingdom, but we belong in his family. We are not simply part of his family, but we are intimate brothers and sisters with the apostles and prophets—people with whom God spoke directly. Finally, our biggest brother of all is Jesus Christ himself. Since our big brother is Jesus Christ, God’s Son, then we, indeed, are God’s children.
What an honor to be invited “inside,” made not only a citizen of the Kingdom but a child of the King himself, and to be assured that there is nothing we can do to lose our status before him. We are his for all eternity because he has made it so through Jesus Christ, his Son, who loved us with a sacrificial love that can never be revoked. Hallelujah!
NLT Parenting devotional.
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
Ephesians 2:19-20
In preparation for an assignment overseas, our family was given approximately sixty hours of crash-course French. We learned a few words and phrases and a few pointers in etiquette but certainly not enough to pass as natives. Our tutor had prepared us for some cultural differences and had made one thing very clear: We would never be invited inside anyone’s home. There were certain places we as foreigners were simply not welcome, and a private home was one of them. We could never earn the trust necessary for such hospitality. Even becoming French citizens would not earn us an invitation “inside” because we were not and never would be considered French. She announced this as an absolute cultural commandment.
Imagine how honored we felt when we were asked in for a cup of espresso by our neighbor down the street!
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a letter of enthusiastic encouragement to Gentile believers. He has made certain that believers clearly understand what Jesus accomplished through his death. The gifts that we now enjoy because Jesus has accepted us are so numerous and so profound that it is easy to imagine Paul’s excitement as he writes. Through Jesus Christ, we have been given citizenship. Not only are we members of God’s kingdom, but we belong in his family. We are not simply part of his family, but we are intimate brothers and sisters with the apostles and prophets—people with whom God spoke directly. Finally, our biggest brother of all is Jesus Christ himself. Since our big brother is Jesus Christ, God’s Son, then we, indeed, are God’s children.
What an honor to be invited “inside,” made not only a citizen of the Kingdom but a child of the King himself, and to be assured that there is nothing we can do to lose our status before him. We are his for all eternity because he has made it so through Jesus Christ, his Son, who loved us with a sacrificial love that can never be revoked. Hallelujah!
