From far away to near - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

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

From far away to near
How can we live happily near God? Let's start at the beginning: God had created Adam and Eve and placed them in a beautiful garden. There, the first humans had close contact with God. But then suddenly everything changed: Adam and Eve disobeyed God - they sinned. This had tremendous consequences for all mankind, which the prophet Isaiah expressed as follows: "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you" (ch. 59:2).

The distance between us and God is not a spatial distance, but a relational conflict. This conflict cannot simply be glossed over. Since we are dealing with God, we cannot be good friends with Him according to our own imagination. This would not bridge the gap between us and God.

But our verse of the day shows a way to come back into fellowship with God. It speaks of the "blood of Christ". What is meant is the sacrificial death of Jesus. The Son of God became man in order to sacrifice His sinless life for the guilt of others. Whoever believes in this substitutionary sacrifice of Christ and confesses his guilt before God gains access to Him. He experiences forgiveness of his guilt and becomes a child of God. Everything that separated him from God, Jesus has removed.

It is wonderful to know: nothing and no one can separate me from His love. Every day I may experience the nearness of God. Even if I am one who has wanted nothing to do with God in my life, He still invites me to come to Him.

Today's reading: Numbers 18:1-19 · Matthew 12:1-14