I Belong to Him

Ephesians 2:14-16 says, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (NIV). Though Paul is specifically talking about Jews and Gentiles, he is also speaking about us. If we aren’t Jewish, then we are Gentiles. We 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 2:12, NIV).  We were nobodies, speeding down the road of destruction that ended in separation from our Creator until God sent Jesus to reconcile us through his death on the cross. We did nothing to earn this or deserve it—he did it out of his love for us. He did so, not only that we would be reconciled to God, but that we would be reconciled to one another. Jesus is our peace who builds bridges of unity by destroying walls of hostility. He commissions us to carry on his work of reconciliation to reconcile the world to Christ. When the world is reconciled to Christ, they can also be reconciled to one another. This means that our work is not to be right, to win arguments, to share our opinions, or to lash out on social media. These build walls of hostility that Jesus died to destroy. Christ’s very work on this earth was to create a new people who carry on his work of reconciliation. As the Body of Christ, we must do whatever it takes to reconcile people to their Father who loves them. We must start asking ourselves: “Will this build a bridge, or build a wall?” When we enter into conversations, when we scroll through social media, when we speak to co-workers, when we share our opinion or perspective, when we develop relationships. Every day we have opportunities to build walls or build bridges. What are you building? Reflection/Discussion Question: Take an honest look at the way you’ve been interacting with others. Are you building bridges or building walls?

Jesus was so focused on his mission that he wasn’t ever stopped by human opinion or offense. Jesus wasn’t easily offendable because he knew who he was and what he came to do. He knew he was the Son of God, and he came to give us eternal life. If you stand firm in your identity and keep your eyes focused on your mission, you will not be moved. In order to get to this place, we must know the truth so deeply that lies are completely ludicrous when we hear them. If we know that we are chosen, we will scoff at anyone who tries to tell us otherwise. If we know that we are loved, we will pay no mind to someone who tries to convince us we are not. If we stay focused on the mission, we will ignore anything that tries to derail us. Followers of Jesus are marked by their focus on Jesus. If we focus on the light, everything outside of Jesus will grow dark. The enemy will try to derail us from the mission of loving people one at a time and making disciples by distracting us with human opinions and filling us with doubt about who Jesus says we are. If we can distrust our identity, we will drop the mission. If we drop the mission, we will cease to bear fruit.  But God gave us everything we need in order to accomplish his mission on earth. He gave us Jesus who made us new. He gave us a new identity. He calls us his sons and daughters. Jesus calls us his friends. God then gives us everything we need to accomplish his mission of growing his Kingdom. If we can remind ourselves of who God says we are, what he has given us to do, and how his power can equip us, we will be unshakeable. Reflection/Discussion Questions: If you find yourself easily offended, what are you struggling to believe God says about you? If not, what has God done in your life to give you freedom from what people think or say?

Waitresses are usually that faceless person who scribbles down your order and you never give them a second thought. We rarely go to our local restaurant but last night we went to dinner. We recognized our waitress from a long time ago. We exclaimed our happiness to see her again. It had been 1.5 years. Later after our check, I asked about her story and how was she affected by our wildfire in 2020? She was able to talk about how scary it was in the 50 mph winds and crashing trees. The evacuation and having to leave the cat behind. Her neighbors house burned down, but after 1 month evacuation, she found her house still standing. It is very healing to be amble to talk about the experience. We told her our fire story and how God has always been faithful and will continue to provide for us even in our uncertain house situation. We all were grateful how God always cares for us in every situation. We gave her a double tip to bless her day.

I have a friend at work and she isnt a Christian while I am recently born again. I have been trying to subtly bring her to Jesus and invite her to church. A couple weeks ago one of my churchleaders gave me the money she got from the church and while I didnt need the money I think God knew how I was struggling with my anxiety and depression and sent her to me to let me know that someone cares. It was a moment where I didnt know what I needed until it was given to me. I didnt want to just spend it so I have been carrying it with me everywhere so I could also pass it to someone who needed it. I came into work today and she was in a bad mood upset about a lot of things that have not been going her way and I felt like in that moment I was told to give it to her. So I explained how it had come to me and while she may not need it to pay for anything I wanted her to know that someone out here cares and that God still loves her.