“And he [Jesus] came and preached peace to you who were far off [from God’s Word] and peace to those who were near; for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:17-19) Jesus came for all of us - rich, poor, young, old, every nation, every race. We are all of us sinners, and remember that there are no “big” or “little” sins. When He went to the cross, He bore the sins of the entire world. He didn’t ask for anything. As a matter of fact, Christ didn’t even speak up for His totally innocent self while the crowd screamed for His death. He did that as both the Son of man and the Son of God.
“And he [Jesus] came and preached peace to you who were far off [from God’s Word] and peace to those who were near; for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:17-19) Jesus came for all of us - rich, poor, young, old, every nation, every race. We are all of us sinners, and remember that there are no “big” or “little” sins. When He went to the cross, He bore the sins of the entire world. He didn’t ask for anything. As a matter of fact, Christ didn’t even speak up for His totally innocent self while the crowd screamed for His death. He did that as both the Son of man and the Son of God.
God created man. He sought a family. The odd thing is, the family doesn’t always seek Him. What makes that so unusual is that His family members while living a “normal” life of a job, taking care of the lawn, going on vacations, and everything else that “everybody” does - those family members are much happier, much healthier physically and emotionally, and much stronger than others who don’t want anything to do with the Lord. They have a confidence and bearing that sets them apart. While God’s family is comfortable in nearly every situation, knowing full well Who is in control, others are frantically scrambling about, as if they’re trying to fit together a huge jigsaw puzzle but not knowing what it’s supposed to look like or where the pieces are. No wonder health care is such a huge industry!
If we are a part of the family of God, it is our privilege to bring His peace and love to others. We can’t do that by clubbing them over the head with scripture. Not everybody wants God’s saving grace. (See the book of Revelation and how, instead of turning to the Lord for release and relief, people actually curse God for the judgements He brings on the world.) No, we show them Jesus’ love and patience so that, when the opportunity presents itself, we can then open their minds to the Word of God. We can share with them our own experience of how we were born again and that the same offer is free to them, no strings attached other than to live and love the Lord. It’s that easy to become a part of the family of God.
