Here is a devotion to start your day!
A spoken version of this devotion is available through the Still, Here audio reflections podcast.
Scripture: Ephesians 2:11–13
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.
The small ruler
My past, background, or differences keep me at a distance.
The grace I receive
In Christ, I have been brought near.
Reflection
Distance can become part of the way we see ourselves.
A painful family history, a sense of being different, a failure we cannot forget, or a wound received in church can chip away at identity. Each experience seems to make us smaller until we assume that closeness belongs more naturally to someone else.
Even when we believe in God, the challenges of life can compete for our attention until His presence feels remote. We may also transfer old relational patterns onto God. If authority figures were conditional, unpredictable, or difficult to please, we may expect God to keep His distance until we become easier to welcome.
Paul speaks to people who knew what it meant to be considered outsiders. He names their former distance honestly. Then he announces a decisive change: But now in Christ Jesus, those who were far away have been brought near.
They did not learn the correct belonging strategy. They did not become more like the insiders. Christ brought them near.
Nearness is more than being invited into the house while remaining careful at the doorway. It is being drawn close to Christ, like the beloved disciples who shared the table beside Him. Only those who are loved are welcomed into that kind of nearness.
You may still carry images of yourself standing at the edge. Church hurt may have taught you that religious belonging is unsafe. Shame may tell you that God allows you to remain nearby while keeping a cautious distance. Those messages do not come from Christ.
Christ does not minimize what happened to you. He does not ask you to pretend that harmful communities were loving. He meets you beyond their failure and restores the closeness they could not give.
Your background does not make you less welcome. Your questions do not place you outside the room. Your past does not force you to remain near the door.
In Christ, you have been brought near. You can release the old images that taught you to shrink and allow yourself to stand confidently beside the One who loves you.
A prayer of presence
Jesus,
You have brought me near when old experiences taught me to remain at a distance. I remember the places where shame, hurt, and conditional acceptance made me feel small. Their message is not the truth of Your love. I receive the closeness You have already given me and allow myself to stand beside You.
– Amen
A practice of grace
Stand near a doorway for a moment and notice what it feels like to remain at the edge. Then step fully into the room and sit down. As you move, quietly say, “In Christ, I have been brought near.”
Consider this…
What old image of exclusion still keeps you standing near the door?
Carry this prayer with you today
Breathe in: I am not far from God...
Breathe out: ... I am brought near
Continue the journey
If this devotion helped you pause, breathe, and receive the mind of Christ today, you are invited to continue walking through the full Love Beyond Measure 31-day series.
Read the next devotion, carry the breath prayer with you, and let this become more than a thought for the day. Let it become a quiet practice of renewal.
See the pattern. Hear the teaching. Live the prayer.
You can also listen to the companion reflections on Still, Here and follow the deeper Bible teaching through The Bible Unplugged at Power Love & Miracles.