It's Personal预览

Have you ever met someone and formed an opinion of them that they were standoffish, stuck up, or too good for you? Maybe it was because of what you had heard about them, or the way you perceived their actions or attitude—but then, you get to know them and realize you had them all wrong? They went out of their way to help you, be kind to you, and make sure you were comfortable and taken care of. Something they did changed the way you saw them forever.

This verse in Ephesians written by the apostle Paul is saying something similar. We were once far off from God. We thought God was angry, we thought God was mean, we thought God hated us and was holding our mistakes against us. But the blood of Christ changed that. It opened our eyes to what God has always been like—good, loving, compassionate, and self-giving. In other words, Jesus’ willingness to die allowed us to see just how big God’s love for us is. The giving of his life, as God in the flesh, was a way of saying, “You got God all wrong! God loves you, God cares for you, and God LIKES you! And I am willing to do whatever it takes for you to see it.” Jesus’ blood brings us near to see God never intended for us to be far off in the first place. God has always been close. It’s us who have moved away.

Today, let the blood of Christ serve as a reminder to you. You are close to God. You are not far off. God is for you, and Jesus willingly giving his life demonstrates that.