The Hope Of You Who Once Were Far Away

Ephesians 2:12&13 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. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Have you ever been on a trip to someplace new to you, and become hopelessly lost? When I say lost, I mean you have no clue where you are, or how to get back to where you want to go.  Granted, with the proliferation of GPS navigation systems in about every device we can possibly carry it can be difficult to be that lost. I have been lost with a GPS in North Las Vegas and once without in the woods of Island Park. And like most people I have been temporarily disoriented with a GPS several times while the device was “recalculating”. There is a distinct difference between being lost with a GPS and being lost without a GPS. For with a GPS there is hope you can find your way back to where you started, or to where you want to go. The hope you have in the GPS is bounded by your trust in something built by a human, with data entered by a human and the duration of the batteries in the device. Without the GPS you are left with just your wits. For guys it would be that innate male sense of direction you can always rely upon. Yes, that same sense that put you into the position of being lost in the first place. Talk about being in a hopelessly lost condition :-o

In Christ Jesus we have something beyond the hope given to us by maps, compasses or GPS devices. We have  the very Son of God, a full part of the Trinity to guide us. He rescued us poor sinners when we were hopelessly lost in our sin. He came to earth at a time and place chosen by His Father to save a world that was hopelessly lost. Before Christ those who were not Jewish (The gentiles) were without knowledge of the One True God. They were worshipping false gods, or no god at all. (Much like many in our world today.) Even though they felt comfortable in that condition, they were lost and without true hope of salvation and eternal life. Like driving around with an out of date map or a defective GPS. Then Jesus showed up and changed everything. He set things right. The blood of Christ brought near all who were once far away from God. The foreigners to the covenants and promises, those who were without hope and God in the world were given hope. It’s a hope that can overcome any feeling of despair, hopelessness or fear. This wonderful blessing is there for all who are willing to put down whatever defective guide they are following in their lives and follow Christ Jesus to their preferred destination.

Are you on the right path? Are you following Jesus today? Give this some thought and prayer. Set your course by Jesus and you will find your way when all other guides will fail you. Trust in Jesus.

PRAYER: Lord of all creation, You place the stars, moon and sun in the heavens to help guide us in our travels on this earth. And You have given us Your Son to show us the way back to You when our time on earth has ended. Help us to stay on the path of Christ Jesus in all that we do and say dear Lord. Keep us from becoming lost and help us to reach out to those who are lost without Jesus. We ask this in the name of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.