Daily Bread: Unlocking a Mystery

 The Bible in One Year: Isaiah 9-10/Ephesians 3

Today's Reading: Ephesians 3:1-12

This mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel. ~Ephesians 3:6

Unlocking a Mystery

When I came home from work one day and saw a pair of lady's high-heel shoes next to the driveway, I was sure I knew whose they were. So I put them in the garage to give to my daughter, Lisa, when she returned to the house to pick up her children. But when I checked with Lisa, I found they didn't belong to her. In fact, no one in our family claimed them, so I put them back where I'd found them. The next day, they were gone. Mysterious.

Did you know that the apostle Paul wrote of a mystery in his letters? But the mystery he described was so much more than some kind of “whodunit.” in Ephesians 3, for example, Paul spoke of a mystery that “was not made known to people in other generations” (v. 5). This mystery is that, while in the past God revealed Himself through Israel, now, through Jesus, Gentiles—those outside of Israel—could be “heirs together with Israel” (v.6).

Think about what this means: all who trust Jesus as Savior can love and serve God together. We can all equally “approach (Him) with freedom and confidence” (v.12). And through the church's unity, the world will see God's wisdom and goodness (v. 10).

Praise God for our salvation. It unlocks for us the mystery of unity as people of any and ALL backgrounds become one in Jesus. ~Dave Branon

Thank you, Jesus, for the unity ALL believers can enjoy in You.

Help us to serve together as equal members of Your body.

Unity in Christ breaks down barriers and builds the church.

When You Are Hated Because Of Your Faith

if the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. ~John 15:18