June 05, 2026 | Be Connected
Without Hope and Without God
Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-13(NIV)
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Devotional
The contrast couldn’t be clearer. Before becoming a Christian, we are:
Gentiles (not one of God’s people), the uncircumcised (outside of God’s covenant), separate from Christ (apart from God’s anointed Messiah), excluded from citizenship in Israel, foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope, without God in the world, and far away from God.
But Jesus changes our identity and status. Because of Him we are declared to be one of God’s people, inside God’s covenant, attached to God’s anointed Messiah, included in citizenship in spiritual Israel, residents of the kingdom expressed through the covenants of the promises of God, filled with hope, walking with God in the world, and ever so close to God Himself. What a contrast!
Jesus takes us from being a spiritual nobody to being a royal child of the King of Kings. Hallelujah!
When my dad died a few years ago, my brother Tim said something that will always stick with me. Tim is the son of my mom and her first husband. Dave and I are sons of my mom and her second husband, who also raised Tim. When we were talking about Dad’s legacy, Tim said to me, “Dad had to love you and Dave, but he chose to love me.”
It’s true. Growing up I couldn’t tell the difference between how Dad treated any of us boys. This held true through his entire 95 years on earth.
That’s the way it is for God. Perhaps it is fair to say that God had to love Jesus His Son, but he chose to love us. He adopted us into His family. He made us His own family. He called us His sons and daughters.
Think about your life in Christ. Name the blessings. Consider the opposite. That’s where you would be without Jesus. But with Him, everything is different. Why? Because “you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
