Devotions

TUESDAY, MAY 26TH 2026

GROUNDWORK

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy
of the calling you have received.

Ephesians 4:1

The gospel has spread quickly despite persecution and reached the city of Ephesus. Ephesus is a large, influential port city known for commerce and idol worship, especially devoted to the Greek goddess Artemis. Paul helped establish the church there during an earlier missionary journey. Now, he writes from a prison in Rome.  Paul’s purpose is clear: to strengthen and encourage believers. Before telling them how to live in a culture opposed to Jesus, Paul first roots them in their
identity in Christ. The gospel reshapes who they are and how they behave, including how they handle relationships.

This same tension exists for us today. Our sense of self is constantly challenged by the loud messages of our culture. Things like our physical appearance, financial success, marital status, and sexuality seem to be subject to cultural voices and social media approval. These voices compete with what God says is true about us. When we
allow culture to define us, our relationship with God and others begins to shift. But when our identity is rooted in Christ, we can experience clarity, humility and unity in how we live and love. Throughout this series, we will return to this truth again and again: belief before behavior. Who we are in Jesus is the groundwork that shapes how we show up in every relationship—at home, in the church and in the world.

TODAY: Set aside twenty minutes to read or listen to the book of Ephesians.
Notice who Paul says we are in Christ in chapters 1-3, and how that identity
shapes the way we live and treat others in chapter 4-6.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27TH 2026

ADOPTED

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. 

In ancient Rome, the practice of infant exposure is common. After a child is born, the baby is presented to the father. If the
father accepts the child, he lifts the baby into his arms. If he rejects the child—often due to poverty, disability or even gender—the child is abandoned.  Many of these children are left to die or sold into slavery. Some believers in
Ephesus likely know this kind of rejection firsthand. Paul reminds the Ephesians that what is most true about them is not their past rejection, but their acceptance in Christ. So, adoption is a powerful theme in Paul’s letter.  Through Jesus, God chooses them, welcomes them and adopts them into his family.  Their identity is no longer defined by what others did to them, but by what God has done for them.

Many of us carry wounds of rejection—the parent who left, the spouse who walked out, the friends who disappeared. These experiences can shape how we see ourselves. But Paul redirects our focus. Our new identity is found in God’s love and acceptance. We were once dead in our sins, but God has made us alive in Christ.  When we place our faith in Jesus, we are adopted into God’s family and called his children. When we know who we are in Christ, it reshapes how we live and how we
relate to others.

TODAY: Reread Ephesians, list every word Paul uses to describe who you are in Christ.

THURSDAY, MAY 28TH 2026

REDEEMED

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.

Ephesians 1:7

Ephesus serves as a major center of trade in the Roman Empire. It is a hub for the slave trade.  Some of the early believers who gather in house churches are slaves—legally considered property, owned by someone else. In this world, to redeem means purchasing someone out of slavery, claiming them as one’s own. Paul speaks to both slaves and masters in the Ephesian church and reminds them of a greater truth: regardless of their social status, all believers have been redeemed by Jesus’s blood. Christ paid the full price for their sin and released them from slavery to sin. Even if some remain physically enslaved, they are spiritually free.

This same truth applies to us. Apart from Christ, we are enslaved to sin—unable to free ourselves. But
Jesus came to redeem us. Fully God and fully man, Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live. He took our place on the cross, died for our sins, and rose again three days later. His blood paid the full price for our redemption.
To be redeemed is to be forgiven completely of past, present and future sin.  Nothing we have done, nothing that has been done to us, is beyond the reach of his grace.

TODAY: Turn to Jesus. Confess your sin and receive his forgiveness and freedom. If you have never trusted Christ, today can be the day you place your faith in him.  

FRIDAY, MAY 29TH 2026

SEALED

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of
truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him
with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.   Ephesians 1:13

Ephesus is a busy port city where seals are commonly used. A seal marks ownership, proves something is authentic and guarantees that what is promised will be delivered. Jars of goods, and sacks of fruit and grain are sealed to show they belong to someone and payment is coming. Paul uses this image to explain what happens when the
Ephesians place their trust in Jesus. The moment they believe, God places his seal on them—the Holy Spirit. This seal shows that they belong to God. It guarantees that God will keep his promises. The Holy Spirit is like a down payment or signature on a contract.

We are sealed with the Spirit of God the moment we put our faith in Jesus. Our inheritance is God himself—not just something we receive later—living in us now. The Spirit confirms our faith is real, that we are God’s children and that eternal life is secure. The Spirit also works in us today, shaping our character, guiding our choices and teaching us how to love and live well with others. What we experience now is only a preview of the complete restoration God has promised
for eternity. Because God sealed us, we can live with confidence, gratitude and peace.

TODAY: Take a few minutes today and listen to the song “So Much”.  As you listen, thank God for the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life and ask him to help you live from a place of security and trust.

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026 

CHRIST REPUTATION

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one
as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete
unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as
you have loved me. 

John 17:22-23

Jesus invests himself in a group of followers over three years of public ministry. These men witness Jesus teach, heal and even raise people from the dead. As Jesus nears his trial and crucifixion, he gathers his disciples together for prayer and some parting words. Jesus tells them of the single greatest factor that will lead to his reputation being honored among the nations: the unity of his followers. How his disciples treat one another and get along will make a profound impact on how Jesus is perceived around the world.

Part of Jesus’s prayer in the upper room was for “those who will believe” (John 17:20), which includes Christians living today. Jesus’s prayer and focus—even as he neared his death on the cross—was that we as the church would be unified in love and service to one another. Our love for one another is to reflect the extravagant love that the Father, Son and Spirit share among themselves. As God is one, so we are to be one. It is such unity that will shine a bright light on the beauty of Christ in a dark and needy world.

Today: Pray the prayer that Jesus prayed: that we as the church would be one as God is one. Pray that Relevant Church would be a witness to the world of love and unity in Jesus. For a helpful guide on what to pray, read John 17:20-23.

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy
of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,
bearing with one another in love. 

Ephesians 4:1-2

Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus begins with an extended introduction that outlines and unpacks a believer’s true identity. Those in Christ are no longer defined by their sin and shame but by the work of Christ and what he secured on their behalf. Believers have been adopted, redeemed, and sealed by the Spirit. It is these truths that are to shape and form how believers live today. Followers of Jesus are to allow their gospel-shaped identity to fuel gospel-shaped living.

As the church in Ephesus was “under construction,” so are we. We all have much room for growth and maturing. Just as the work of Christ empowered the transformation of the church in Ephesus, so it will empower transformation in us. Within the church, we are all on a continuum of spiritual growth and maturity. So, rather than get overly upset when a fellow believer disappoints or lets us down, we can extend grace and remember that we are all works in progress. As Paul commanded the believers in Ephesus, we can be people who are humble and gentle, bearing with one another in love.

TODAY: Identify one area of your life where you need to grow. Consider the commands in Ephesians 4:2 to be humble, gentle and patient. Ask God for
grace and help to grow in the area you identified. As you pray, commit to a new habit or pattern that exemplifies humility, gentleness, or patience.

Thursday, June 4th 2026

DIVIDING WALLS

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one
hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and
Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

Ephesians 4:4-6

Paul begins his letter to the church in Ephesus by reinforcing gospel truths about what Jesus has done and who believers are because of Jesus’s finished work. Even more, Paul establishes that this same work of Christ is to be the driving force behind believers living in unity with one another—even Jew and Gentile believers. What matters most about them is not their differences in skin color, race, family background, gender, or financial status. What matters most is the blood of
Jesus that unites them together as one people.

The gospel is to inform and influence all our relationships, especially within the church. Though many aspects of life make
us different and distinct from one another, it is the gospel that makes us one in Christ. Through the cross, God has broken down barriers or walls of
hostility (Ephesians 2:14). He has made diverse people and groups one in Christ. Through the work of Christ, we are forgiven of our sins, granted new
identities, grafted into the forever family of God, and given a new mission in this world. In this way, we are to be cross-shaped people.

TODAY: Have you received Jesus’s work on the cross? If not, today could be the day! Ask God to forgive you of your sins because of Jesus’s work through
his death and resurrection. If you have received Christ, give God the praise and ask for his help in applying gospel truths to your daily relationships.

Friday, June 5th 2026

GUARD UNITY

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one
another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace. 

Ephesians 4:2-3

Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, establishing that they are already one in Christ. They have one Father, one Lord, and have been made into one people in Christ. Because of this unity, these believers can live at peace with one another. Paul makes clear, however, that living in unity with other believers takes work and intentional effort—it does not happen by accident. Unity requires growing into the sort of people who are humble, gentle and bear with one another in love.

The same is true for us today. If we are to live at peace with other believers, then we must cultivate, guard, and protect these relationships. Much like how cars need ongoing maintenance, our relationships need to be regularly maintained if they are to remain vibrant and healthy. Such efforts at guarding may require that we confess wrongdoing and forgive those who hurt us. Efforts to maintain unity may also involve engaging in difficult conversations or even listening to someone who holds a different perspective than we do. In short, keeping the unity of the Spirit means valuing relationships in the church and making an intentional effort to move toward fellow believers.

TODAY: What is a practical step you can take toward guarding unity in the church? It could be asking questions to get more information, apologizing,
forgiving, or getting to know someone new. Identify one step you could take, and then ask God for the grace and help to take it.

Tuesday,
June 9th 2026

GOD’S DESIGN FOR MARRIAGE

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male
and female he created them.   Genesis 1:27

In the beginning, God creates man and woman with purpose and intention. He forms both male and female in his image, each distinct yet equally valuable. He then
establishes marriage as a reflection of himself. Just as Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist in perfect relationship—equal in nature yet distinct in role—God
designs marriage to mirror this divine partnership. Centuries later, Paul writes to believers in the bustling city of Ephesus about how to live together
in Jesus. He doesn’t invent new teaching about marriage. Instead, he points back to this Genesis blueprint. The Ephesian church includes people from vastly
different backgrounds, and Paul reminds them that every relationship, including marriage, should grow from the soil of Jesus’s example on the cross.

The world today offers many definitions of marriage and what it can be. God, as our creator, knows what is best for us. We are called to surrender to his design
for our good and flourishing. We submit to his authority when we release our desire to define our world and instead live according to his Word. For
instance, as husbands and wives serve, encourage and love each other, they show a watching world what God is like. This is his design for all of our
relationships, including marriage.

TODAY: Using Genesis as a starting point, ask God whether your view of marriage and relationships lines up with
his Word. Ask him to reveal the places where you aren’t reflecting his design. Then ask him for strength to more fully reflect his heart of service in
relationships.

Wednesday, June 10th 2026

COVENANT IN MARRIAGE

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be
united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. Ephesians 5:31

Paul understands marriage as a covenantal relationship: two partners who make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal. The
covenants God makes with humans spread across the pages of the Bible, including Adam and Eve, Abraham, Israel, and David. Paul tells the Ephesians that the
covenant of marriage is unique. The promises kept between two imperfect people reveal the kind of relationship God desires to have with his people—one
involving self-sacrifice, delight, and honor. Marriage also points to the ultimate covenant keeper, Jesus. Through the cross, believers can find hope.

Our beliefs about God show up in our closest relationships. Marriage today is still meant to be a covenant of promise-keeping. Yet, if we are honest, we often
replace this goal with a desire for happiness and self-satisfaction. Like the Ephesians, we live out the idols of our age. God’s design for marriage invites
us to more. While a healthy marriage points to Jesus, an unhealthy one reveals the reality of a sinful world. How we live has eternal value. God develops
faithfulness in us when we accept Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins and seek his help.

TODAY: Have you received the gift of new life in Jesus through his work on the cross? Today would be a great day to do so. Jesus is the ultimate answer for your relationships, including marriage. As you consider the finished work of Christ, join me in praising God through the song “Faithfulness”.

Thursday, June 11th, 2026

RESPECT & HONOR

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the
Lord. 

Ephesians 5:22

Paul lays the groundwork for relationships in Ephesians 5. The Ephesian believers’ reverence for Christ should shape how they relate to one another. In the
Greco-Roman world, it is rare to acknowledge women because they are treated as a commodity. Paul chooses not only to acknowledge them but to show honor by
addressing the wives in the community first, inviting them into a countercultural conversation. He calls wives to respect their husbands in the
same way they respect Christ, which reflects the gospel in how they honor and encourage them.

Copying and pasting this Scripture into our context can be challenging because it is often misunderstood. We are all called to show respect to one another, but it
looks different depending on the relationship. For wives, it is a call to honor our husbands. This means valuing the image of God in him, partnering to help
him reach his God-given potential, seeking his best and being mindful of how impactful our words can be. This is different from the world, and when lived
out, it reflects God’s heart and character to those who don’t know him.

TODAY: Ask your husband, how and when he feels respected. Then commit to show one tangible expression of respect toward him each day this
week.

Friday, June 12th, 2026

NOURISH & CHERISH

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and
give himself up for her.

Ephesians 5:25

Paul now turns his attention to the men of the young Ephesian church. His words are as countercultural to them as his message to the women. Husbands are to love
their wives in the same way Jesus loves his church. This is sacrificial love.  It is a revolutionary concept for the Greco-Roman world because in their culture, marriage is often for status, not for love, and commitment is relative to a man’s power and influence. Other than providing material needs, a man is
not required to do more. Paul tells the Ephesian men this isn’t what God requires. God requires men to live out his great love.

The call to sacrificial love is as revolutionary today as in Bible times. Modern culture, in all its achievements, hasn’t moved past Rome. It tells us we should
determine our relationships based on what we can get from them. Gospel-shaped marriages involve men who partner with God to nourish and cherish their wives.
It looks like pouring into her in such a way that she can reach her God-given potential. A husband who does this is present. He serves his wife and gives her
undivided attention. He goes out of his way to see her become all that God designed her to be. The way we love in our relationships shows the watching
world how much Christ loves his people.

TODAY: Ask your wife, how and when she feels loved and cared for. Then, over the coming week, commit to loving her in one tangible way each day.

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Tuesday, June 23rd 2026

NEW IDENTITY

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.  Ephesians 3:17b-18

Paul spends three chapters reminding believers in Ephesus who they are in Christ. This new identity is to shape their relationships with each other. The gospel doesn’t just change individuals, it transforms entire communities. After establishing their gospel identity, Paul provides a list of behaviors to abandon and virtues to embrace,
explaining the reason behind each instruction. The gospel is highly relational, not merely a set of moral guidelines. Ephesian believers no longer live in
brokenness but build community together. Security in their identity provides wholeness and freedom, empowering new behaviors that build genuine connections
with each other and restore what sin has broken.

The same dynamics that shaped relationships in ancient Ephesus still affect us today. We all long for deep, human connection—it’s how God created us. Whether in our marriages, families, workplaces or small groups, certain actions shatter our connections while others strengthen them. Lying is one sin that breaks trust and destroys community. Honesty, by contrast, builds and deepens our connections with each other. The more secure we are in Christ, the more freedom we experience to be honest with others. This week, we’ll explore practical ways to put off lying and grow in truthfulness, creating the deeper relationships we were designed
for.

TODAY: Use Ephesians 3:16-19 as a prayer, asking God to help you live out your new identity in Christ. As you pray these verses, ask
the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and root you in Christ’s love so you can build authentic community with others.

Wednesday, June 24th 2026

NEW HABITS

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk
in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a
fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2

Paul isn’t simply saying, “Jesus died for you. Now go behave right.” The gospel is the why behind Ephesian believers’ new habits and behaviors. Paul calls them to habits that mirror the way Jesus lived and gave himself for them. The word “therefore” connects their new identity to their new way of living. Because of the
gospel—because they are beloved, treasured, adopted and belong—they can live with freedom that prevents hiding. Paul uses the present tense when he tells
them to speak truthfully to each other (Ephesians 4:25).  They are to speak truthfully and keep on doing it. This is about building gospel-empowered habits of honesty in community.

Like learning to drive, new habits require intentional work at first but then become second nature. For instance, as teenagers, we develop habits of being truthful to our parents about our whereabouts and companions. In marriage, we can grow new habits of telling the truth to our spouse about how much we spend. We build the habit of honesty with our small group or trusted Christian friends about how life is really going. Not everyone needs to know everything, but someone—another wise believer—needs to know the truth. The gospel frees us from pretending and hiding and empowers us to build new habits of honesty.

TODAY:  Have a conversation with a trusted Christian friend about your honesty habits. In what areas do you struggle to be fully honest? Who do you need to tell?

Thursday, June 25th 2026

NEW CLOTHES

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put
off your old self…and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22a, 24

Paul uses clothing imagery to represent the believers’ new life. They’ve outgrown old clothes that don’t fit their new identity. He calls the Ephesians to shed sinful patterns of lying, anger, theft and unwholesome talk. In turn, they are to put on positive actions that reflect their new life—truth-telling, forgiveness, generosity and words that build others up. These behaviors reflect Jesus and what he has done for them, yet they don’t happen automatically. The believers need to unlearn their old way of living. This requires effort to take off the old and get dressed in the new.

We too need to learn a new way of life. As we follow Jesus, he will help us grow into our new identity and build new habits through the power of the Holy Spirit. But it will require effort on our part and a willingness to learn and ask for help. The people we surround ourselves with matter. Through small groups and Christian friendships, we observe different speech patterns and learn to speak truth. What we put in our minds and who we spend time with affects our actions. We learn to grow in speaking the truth by taking in the truth.

TODAY: Evaluate the content you take in regularly—books, podcasts, social media or friends. Consider whether those sources point you toward your new life or encourage your old life. Commit to taking in God’s Word daily, letting it be the loudest voice.

Friday, June 26th 2026

NEW COMMUNITY

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in
every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15

Paul compares the church to a body. Just as the eye is connected to the hand, all parts matter and are interconnected in Christ. The Christian life is about the whole body, not just about the individual member. When each part works properly, the body grows and builds itself up in love. Paul teaches that believers can either break or build the community by how they act and relate to one another. When lying and hiding are present, something breaks. Dishonesty is like an infection that spreads
throughout the body. Jesus desires the church community to be a completely new experience and look different from the world.

Truthfulness sets the tone and makes room for others to be honest and live free. When we rest secure in the gospel, we can stop pretending and hiding. We build the health of the body when we are humble and honest, ask for help, offer a listening ear, respond with love and prayer and tell the truth in love. We deepen trust with each other and reflect Jesus to the world around us. Speaking the truth in love includes offering encouragement grounded in our new identity in Christ. It means reminding each other that we are loved, treasured, adopted and belong, making space to be vulnerable with each other.

TODAY: Write a note or send a text to another believer, encouraging them and reminding them of who they are in Christ. Thank them for something they’ve done that has built you up in your identity in Christ.

Tuesday, June 30th 2026

DEFUSING ANGER

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin.” Ephesians
4:25-26a

Paul writes to the church in Ephesus with powerful truths for how Christians should relate to one another. In chapters one through three, he has established their new identity in Christ—forgiven, adopted and sealed by the Spirit. Now in chapters four through six, he shows how this new identity shapes daily life. Ephesus is known for conflict and chaos, where the temple of the goddess Artemis towers and people compete for power. Paul calls the church to something visibly different: a community marked by reconciliation rather than retaliation, by peace rather than payback.

When anger flares, we often focus on what triggered us—the sharp word, the forgotten errand, the dismissive tone. But beneath the surface, like an iceberg’s hidden mass, lies something deeper. We want something we’re not getting. Maybe we desire to be heard, understood or appreciated. Perhaps we want respect, acknowledgment or control. Our desires can be good and right—God-given longings for connection and security. The problem emerges when our desires transform into demands. When we begin insisting that others meet our deepest needs, we set ourselves up for disappointment and anger. No person can perfectly fulfill what only God can provide. The gospel shifts our focus from what we lack to what we’ve been given in Christ—acceptance, forgiveness, unfailing love and eternal security.

TODAY: When anger arises, pause and ask: “What am I desiring right now that I’m not getting?” Write down what comes to mind. Bring that desire to God,
acknowledging that only he can meet your deepest needs. Ask him to help you see how the gospel provides what you’re seeking.

Wednesday, July 1st 2026

RESOLVE TODAY

Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26b-27

Paul’s instruction to the Ephesians carries urgency: resolve anger quickly. He’s not commanding them to argue until midnight, but to do everything
possible to settle today’s conflicts today. When the believers nurse their anger and let it fester, small disagreements grow into massive resentments.
What should have been a minor conflict becomes an argument about everything.  Prior unresolved tensions get dragged into present disputes. Paul warns that
lingering anger opens a door, giving the devil a foothold in the Ephesians’ relationships and church community. Satan camps out in places of unresolved
conflict, planting seeds of bitterness that spread through families and churches like weeds choking a garden.

Healthy relationships don’t have zero conflict. The difference between thriving marriages, friendships and family relationships and struggling ones isn’t the absence of arguments, but how fast they move toward reconciliation. When we let anger simmer, we’re not protecting ourselves or teaching someone a lesson; we’re allowing wounds to become infected. Passive-aggressive silence can do as much damage as explosive rage. Movement toward peace matters more than winning the argument. Sometimes this means asking a simple question: “Do we have unresolved conflict?” Even years later, this question can unlock healing. When reactions feel disproportionate to the offense, unresolved anger from the past is likely fueling the present fire.

TODAY: Is there someone you need to ask, “Do we have unresolved conflict?” Move toward that person today. Send a text, make a call or schedule a conversation.

Thursday, July 2nd 2026

RIGHT REACTIONS

In your anger do not sin. Ephesians 4:26a

Paul’s words to the Ephesians acknowledge that anger happens. The command to not sin when angry isn’t permission for rage—it recognizes that believers live in a broken world saturated by sinful actions. The Ephesians live in a culture where children are neglected or abandoned, the poor suffer and other believers still say and do hurtful things. Paul’s concern centers on what happens next, whether their anger drives them toward sinful responses or toward righteousness. They have a choice to yell, withdraw in cold silence or pause to seek God’s help to respond with wisdom.

Our angry responses can feel automatic, as if someone has pushed a button and we have no choice but to explode. Yet we do choose. We might unleash fury on family members behind closed doors but suddenly gain composure when a neighbor rings the doorbell. We might freeze out a friend for a hurtful action but act warm and friendly in front of others. This reveals a moment where we decide how to respond. Through the Holy Spirit living in us, we have the power to interrupt our usual patterns. We don’t have to let someone else’s sin become the excuse for our own sin. When conversations escalate, anger builds or we feel ourselves freezing someone out, we can pause and ask God for help before we speak or act.

TODAY: Practice the pause. When you feel anger rising—whether in traffic, during a conversation or while scrolling online—stop before responding. Take a
deep breath, turn away from the situation and simply pray: “God, help me respond in a way that honors you.” If anger continues to control your reactions
and relationships, reach out to me at pastormark@RELEVANTchurchMD.com

Friday, July 3rd 2026

FORGIVE OTHERS

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Paul anchors his instructions about anger in the power of the gospel. The Ephesian believers don’t forgive because others deserve it or because
forgiving feels natural. They forgive because they’ve been forgiven. Through Jesus’s death on the cross, God has paid for all their sin—past, present and
future. This isn’t something they’ve earned or deserved. It’s pure grace. Now, grounded in their identity as forgiven, beloved, treasured and adopted children of God,
they can extend that same forgiveness to others who wrong them.

Gospel-rooted forgiveness transforms how we handle anger. When we’re anchored in what Christ has done for us on the cross, we can release those who’ve sinned against us without harboring resentment. This doesn’t mean pretending the offense doesn’t hurt or that full restoration is always possible. Sometimes trust must be rebuilt slowly. Sometimes relationships can’t return to what they were. But forgiveness begins in our hearts, whether or not the other person apologizes. We don’t gut it out through self-effort or white-knuckle willpower. We forgive through the power of the cross. The same grace that rescued us from sin empowers us to let go of
bitterness and choose forgiveness over revenge.

TODAY: Worship with me, look up “All in Praise of Jesus.”  Let the lyrics remind you of Christ’s sacrifice and the forgiveness you’ve received. Ask God to give you the power to forgive others as Christ forgave you. If you’ve never placed your faith in Jesus and received his forgiveness, this is a great day to begin that relationship.