Morning Devotional 070925 Just Do It

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

July 9, 2025

Ephesians 4:1-6

1 Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. 2 Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, 3 and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. 4 You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.

Good Morning! Accept each other with love!

Most people long for a sense of belonging. Whenever I enter a new experience where I don’t know anyone, my first objective is to meet someone and start a conversation. If this encounter evolves into a long chat and the jitters of not knowing anyone start to disappear. At this moment, I am looking for threads that tie us together in any way: similar likes or experiences. 

It’s interesting that inserting myself into an established group where I’m the newbie among others who know each other is especially challenging. Group dynamics have its own set of rules through which you must navigate. I first look for someone who looks or acts inviting. This might be the person in charge who is looking to welcome new people to the group, but often it is a quiet person who is hanging out on the fringes of the group. 

Paul reminds us that Christ calls us to become one as we humble ourselves in peace. Becoming part of the fellowship of Christ should be a place where all feel welcome. As churches, we must open our doors to welcome all God’s children and engage with our new neighbors as members of the family of God. 

Families include all kinds of people. Those who are jovial, the rebels, and the loud and quiet ones. At the family gathering, everyone is welcome because, despite their differences, they’re family after all. Imagine a world where everyone feels fully welcome. 

This is living as people worthy of the call we received from God preserved through the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties us together.

Giving Lord, you bless us abundantly! We dream of a beautiful, peaceful world where all are welcome. Help us move beyond the dream and act on our aspirations. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: God created us to be in relationships. 

If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it

Anything you want to, do it. Wanna change the world? There's nothing to it!

Just do it! God will lead us through it! Pastor Liz