June 08, 2026 | Be Connected
Access to the Father
Scripture: Ephesians 2:14-18(NIV)
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Devotional
Every Thanksgiving, I like to run a 5k race with members of my family. Through the years, I think I’ve participated with at least 21 different family members in a race on Thanksgiving Day at five different locations. While it is safe to say I’ve never finished near the front, we always have a good time. In a normal 5k race, everyone starts with the gun and quickly spreads out, with the fastest leading the way and finishing first.
A few years ago, I read about a 5k race in Colorado called the Tortoise and Hare 5k that differs from a typical running event. Prior to the start, everyone is given a time handicap based on age, weight, height, and gender. The slowest projected finisher starts before everyone else. All runners are released after the first based on the time handicap they have been preassigned. The tortoises lead the way while the hares chase to catch up. Sometimes a tortoise hangs on to win, and sometimes a hare passes at the end to earn the victory. Either way, the finish is always thrilling as both tortoises and hares have a chance to win the race. This type of ending reminds me of Paul’s wisdom in Acts 20:24. He shared, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
Today’s scripture passage parallels the Tortoise and Hare 5k in the sense that everyone has been given the chance to “win” the race. Prior to Jesus’s arrival, the Jews were God’s chosen people, and others needed not apply. After Jesus, the game changed. Paul is telling the Ephesians that Jew and Gentile heritage no longer matter. Jesus’s sacrifice, and our belief in it and subsequent following of Him, has removed our barrier to God. Paul reiterates this message in other epistles. In Colossians 3:11, Paul says, “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all.” Everyone can now share in a united fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit perpetuated by the blood of Jesus Christ.
How is your race with Jesus going? Are you trying to run a traditional race and “earn” your way to God through works and deeds? Maybe it’s time to enter God’s Tortoise and Hare Race by surrendering your life to Jesus and finishing together with all the race entrants who have made the same choice.
