Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

If you are at all familiar with text message “code,” you know that the letters “ILY” represent the phrase “I Love You!” As I was reflecting on the message of togetherness within Ephesians 4, I realized that the last three letters of family are ILY. What more does anyone want from family but to belong and to be loved? I wish that was the story for each and every one of us. I wish that we were all born into healthy, wholesome families with nothing but love for one another, but the truth is that people are broken. Not all families are healthy nor are they wholesome. Some families are dysfunctional at best. But God. God’s plan for advancing His kingdom through Jesus’s time on Earth was to grow a complete covenant family. His goal was UNITY. This would exist in a family where everyone could belong; where both Jews and Gentiles could become Christians, and in one fellowship all people could come to know, love, and follow Christ. Within this fellowship, we would become one big family – members of the family of God.

I don’t know about you, but I just love the new song from our very own Venture Worship Team, "Family Reunion." This song tells us that no matter what our families look like, no matter the dysfunction that we have fought to overcome, in God’s family tree, we all have a place.

"You're welcome to the family

Welcome home

You don't have to believe it

Before you belong

Welcome to the place where

You can rest your soul

'Cause when you're with Jesus

You're welcome home"

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Prayer: Dear God, Thank You for offering everyone a place to belong. Sometimes family life can be complicated at best. Being a part of Your covenant family gives each of us a purpose and a place. You are such a good, good Father. We love You so much! Amen.

Family Devo: Ephesians 4

By: Ty Park

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset 

Head

Ephesians Chapter 4 talks about how important it is for all of us to work together and be united. The apostle Paul explains that just like a body has different parts that work together, the church is made up of different people with different gifts. He encourages us to be humble, patient, and loving, treating each other like family. Paul also talks about growing in our faith and not doing things that hurt others. He reminds us that we are BETTER TOGETHER!  

Heart

When we read Ephesians Chapter 4, we should feel a sense of unity and togetherness. It's like when a team works together to win a game – everyone has a role to play, and when we all do our part, amazing things can happen. This chapter teaches us how important it is to be kind, patient, and caring to one another. It shows us that God wants us to grow in our faith and become more like Jesus.   

Hands

Let's build each other up! We can do simple things like using kind words, helping someone who needs it, and saying sorry when we make a mistake. If we see someone feeling left out, we can include them. Just like different parts of a body work together, we can work together to make our families, schools, and communities better and happier places. Our actions can bring unity and help everyone feel loved and important. 

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for making us part of your family. Help us to work together and be kind to one another, just like You are to us. Teach us to help, share, and show love. Guide us to grow in our faith and become more like Jesus every day. In Jesus' name, amen.