God's Response to Mankind's Sin: Day 3

I had a roommate who use to watch a show called Band of Brothers.  It was 9 discs so it seemed like he was always watching the show for a few months.  I personally never got into the show, but I remember how excited he got when he talked about the bonds forged through war.  He wanted that type of friendship with someone, but I didn't understand.  It wasn't until later in life that I realize the inherent desire that people have for community.  We were created to be in close relationships with people, but many times we don't know how to get there.  How do we create strong relationships?

As I think about my past, I realize that I have had a lot of "brothers" in life.  My sports teams, for example, helped me develop strong bonds with some of the guys, some who I still keep in contact with.  But I've had all sorts.  I've had work groups, small groups, family groups, school groups, mission groups, etc.  They were all great ways for me to get into a relationship with people that I wouldn't have typically associated with, because each group member had a unified purpose.  But it wasn't the purpose didn't create a bond.  In fact, the purpose can get in the way of forming a bond if we aren't careful.

Sometimes I see myself ruining a relationship by focusing too much on the purpose and not enough on the person.  I focus on completing the purpose, but that forces me to push people away who detract from the purpose.  Purpose brings people together, but a mutual identity bonds people.  So the big question for me is, what is my identity?  

I can identify myself as a "Wheeler" or a "husband," or a "student," but my deepest identity is "child of God."  We are Jesus' siblings, co-heirs, children of God.  Whether you are a pastor, a missionary, a felon, or a cripple; you are a new creation; a child of God.

Read what God says about His house in Ephesians 2:19-22 (NLT):

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Answer the following questions:

1. What metaphors does God use to describe Christians in this passage?

1. A cornerstone is the essential stone in which all other stones were built around. Why does this passage call Jesus the cornerstone? (Look up the definition of cornerstone).

2. How do you see yourself joined together with God and His people?

Conclusion:

I was on a new journey in life, and God was now my traveling companion. He wanted me to join His family so I could know Him and make Him known. It started out as an incredible journey, but unfortunately sin had a lot of strongholds in my life. I felt as though I was constantly failing God, and began to doubt whether God could love such a “failure”. I began to learn that although I failed, I was not a failure. I was loved by God, and next week we will take a deeper look at that love.