Verse of the Day and Devotional 3/13/2025

by Bible League International.

Narrated by Artificial Intelligence, Eric.

Click Above to Read/Listen to the Devotional

Scripture

…remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. – Ephesians 2:12-13 ESV

Devotion

Our ability to remember is a strangely wonderful phenomenon. In our younger years, without the backdrop of life experience, we are taught predominantly by rote and repetition. Truths and realities settle into our memories, but over time, some are completely forgotten while others are tucked deeply away and brought forth when connected to newly discovered realities. In our older years, we have a tendency to hold dearly to some synaptic connections of the past while forgetting what we had for breakfast this morning!

What is true in the physical realm of our lives is also true in the spiritual realm. Christians are cognizant of their daily relationship with Christ (your reading of this devotional attests to that). We desire bits of truth to motivate us and move us through our day. But the Apostle Paul would not have us satisfied with these bits, that when pondered in the morning can soon be forgotten by night.

Paul desires that believers see their daily growth in Christ in the fuller context of their initial conversion to Christ (Ephesians 2:12). He desires for us to never forget what life was like both physically and spiritually before the work of the cross! Verses 11 through 13 act as a connective between our declared purpose in relationship to Christ (‘…his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…’ v. 10), and the benefits that are the result of that relationship (‘…he himself is our peace…’ (v. 14), ‘…one new man…’ (v. 15), reconciliation (v. 16), ‘…access…to the Father’ (v. 18)…we could go on!

Here’s the gist behind our thinking for today: never forget from where you came from, and allow that to guide you to where you are going in relationship to Christ! All of us were ‘socially distanced’ from Christ, but he made a great exchange and brought us near to himself (v. 13). For each of the innumerable people who have been made reconciled to God through Christ throughout human history, there is a past connected to the future of eternity. Just think of all the stories that will one day be remembered in heaven!