17 The Great Preacher of peace and love came for you, and His voice found those of you who were near and those who were far away. 18 By Him both have access to the Father in one Spirit. 19 And so you are no longer called outcasts and wanderers but citizens with God’s people, members of God’s holy family, and residents of His household.20 You are being built on a solid foundation: the message of the prophets and the voices of God’s chosen emissaries with Jesus, the Anointed Himself, the precious cornerstone. 21 The building is joined together stone by stone—all of us chosen and sealed in Him, rising up to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In Him you are being built together, creating a sacred dwelling place among you where God can live in the Spirit.
Friday Uplift (October 17, 2014)
I chose this text today from a different translation than usual. I used “The Voice” translation of Ephesians 2 because I loved the picture it paints of community in Christ.
It’s so beautiful, and so different than the way our world likes to work.
We have been brought into the community and we are no longer outcasts but insiders. And what does this mean? We are built together, and when we are together it creates a sacred dwelling place for God to be with us.
Oh I love that. Isn’t it lovely?
This totally changes the way I see others, how I interact with others.
We are in this together.
We are a part of the work of God together, and each of us, each one, has a place in it.
Take this lovely image with you today, and this weekend, as you go about your daily life and work.
You are a member of God’s holy family, and when you come together in community, you are creating a holy temple.