Journey to Ephesus

Day 10

'For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.'

Ephesians 3:1-6

I bet you're thinking that this has nothing to do with you - after all, you're not a gentile, are you? But think of it like this. The big mystery Paul is telling these Gentiles in Ephesus is that everyone can know Christ, and that everyone is an heir to the inheritance stored for them in heaven. I know I've already talked about this previously, so I won't go into very much detail on that side of things. But basically, the promise in Christ Jesus, that as long as we believe in him we shall go to heaven, is not just meant for a certain group of people. It's meant for everyone.

Look at the community around you. Do you see just one type of person walking about? Of course not! You can probably see hundreds of different types of people - different races, genders, sexualities, religions, interests, values... I would probably take up several pages if I wrote them all. But God made us all equal. We are all children of God. Don't think that just because someone's gay, or they are Muslim or whatever, that they don't deserve to share in their inheritance. Everyone has the possibility of spending eternity with their heavenly Father. It's just the choice that decides whether they do or not.

Some people get the wrong impression of Christians. They think that we don't accept other kinds of people. But that's totally wrong. God is love, and he loves everyone. And if we're trying to follow in Jesus' footsteps, then we should love everyone too, no matter if they're gay or straight, or black or white, male or female, atheist or religious. We are the next generation (sounding cheesy again...). We can change this impression that people have on us. I'm sure you're not racist or anything, but don't hide yourself from other kinds of people. Go and talk with people who have a different religion to you. Make friends with people you wouldn't normally make friends with. Don't be that person that only stays with other Christians all the time. Share God's promise, and his word, to everyone.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank you for making everyone equal. Thank you for making heaven a place for everyone, not just for certain people. Thank you that there are different kinds of people in the world. Please help me to get out of my comfort zone and mix with people who aren't like me. Help them to see your love through me, and help them to realise that there is a place for them in heaven.

Amen