May 18 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Ephesians 2:11-22:

¹¹Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
¹²That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
¹³But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
¹⁴For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
¹⁵Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
¹⁶And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
¹⁷And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
¹⁸For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
¹⁹Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
²⁰And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
²¹In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
²²In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Devotional

Christ is our peace. It is He who has made peace through the blood of his cross. "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace." We obtain this peace through faith in him. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." This peace of God "passeth all understanding." It is great and glorious, and it shall "keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

In the world is unrest, hatred and strife. "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." They say, "Peace, peace; when there is no peace." "When they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them."

Christ is the Prince of Peace, and He shall establish a kingdom in which righteousness dwells. "The work of righteousness shall be peace." "The Lord will speak .... peace unto his people;" but He also "shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his domin­ion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth."

In view of all this, how calm and peaceful our lives should be! We read in Psalm 119:165. "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them" (Hebrew: "They shall have no stumbling block.") "The meek shall .... delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

"Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all."

Prayer

Our Father, we thank Thee for Thine infinite love and abounding grace. We thank Thee that we were reconciled unto Thee when we were enemies, by the death of Thy Son, and that through the blood of his cross Thou didst make peace. O God, we thank Thee for this peace which we have through faith in Jesus Christ. May we not forget, that He reconciled us in the body of his flesh through death, to present us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight. May we continue in this faith, grounded and settled, and not be moved away from the hope of the gospel. For his sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Col. 1:20; John 16:33; Rom. 5:1; Phil. 4:7; Isa. 58:21; Jer. 6:14; 1 Thess 5-3; Isa. 32:17; Ps. 85:8; Zech. 9:10; Ps. 37:11.

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