From Exclusion to Belonging!
“… you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.”
Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)
Like most of us, you have no doubt experienced the pain of rejection and exclusion. If you’ve ever been overlooked or, worse, forgotten, you know what I’m talking about. It hurts. It can make you wonder if you’ve become invisible to God as well. Don’t believe it! In her excellent devotional “Overlooked Gems,” Allison Allen says, “In Christ, we are not rejected, forgotten, excluded, or marginalized. In Him, we are accepted in the Beloved. In Him, we have a seat at the table. In Him, we are considered. And even when no one else affirms us, Jesus does.” I love that!
Experiencing God’s acceptance begins with faith. Faith is simply believing God and acting upon what you believe. You do that the moment you respond in faith to the invitation to receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior from sin, and your life is never the same! You’ve exchanged death for life! Sin for salvation! Guilt for grace! Rejection for acceptance! Exclusion for belonging! What a bargain! Old things pass away as all things become new! You are a new creation in Christ! That’s the first step of faith, followed by many smaller steps of obedience.
Soon, you discover that real faith involves not only believing but belonging as well! You belong to God’s family, His household, the church of the risen Christ! Your citizenship has been upgraded! You share a dual citizenship with this world and heaven! Here’s how the Bible describes what happens that moment you put your trust in Jesus: “Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.” Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)
Notice the first word: Now! Not later when you die, but right now, you are no longer a stranger to God! He may have seemed distant and estranged from you before, but not now, nor ever again! Once, you were a foreigner to heaven, but not now! Even though you’re living on Earth, your real citizenship is in heaven! Once, you were not a member of God’s very own family, but not now! Now you are a member of God’s family, a citizen of God’s country and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian! How awesome is that! This is your birthright! Why? Because by faith, you have been born again!
Real salvation involves both believing and belonging! In fact, believing plus belonging equals blessing! First, you come to a place of believing all that God said about His Son, who died for your sins. That’s the simplicity of the Gospel! The Bible says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved….” Acts 16:31 (NIV) Have you done that? If not, do it now. Simply say, “Yes, Lord Jesus, I believe in you! I receive you in my heart and ask you to forgive me of my sins and save me! I need you, Lord, to take control of my life.”
Then, we come to the place of belonging. We are not alone! God sets us in His family as an equal member to all that He is and has! Here’s how the Bible describes our relationship with other Christ followers. “Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 (TLB)
This is the blessing of faith! Believing + Belonging = Blessing! Have you experienced the blessing of belonging? God never intended you and me to live a Lone Ranger Christian life. You are a part of a forever family! Every local Christ-centered church is a part of that forever family. If you have not yet joined one, we invite you to register now for our Woodlands Church Membership Class this Sunday following our 11:30 service and discover the difference belonging to a local community of faith can make in your life.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.