You have Made us to be Free

photo: Kirby Trapolino

But we crave the comforts of our chains. We are a people who too often fall in to the trap of enslavement. It is easy to become slaves to our jobs, slaves to our technology, slaves to pleasing those around us, or slaves to our bank account. 

Romans 6:18 says, 

The beauty of your new situation is this: now that you are free from sin, you are free to serve a different master, God’s redeeming justice. 

Through the power of Jesus we have been offered a new situation- a situation in which we are free from anything and everything that seeks to enslave us. Romans 6 reminds us that our freedom is not granted to us in order that we might serve ourselves. Rather, this newfound freedom is granted so that we seek God’s redeeming justice. Freedom for the sake of ourselves is not freedom at all. Our freedom is found only through the redeeming justice of God in order that in our freedom we seek the redeeming justice of God. 

Reflection:

Are you living in the freedom offered through Jesus? 

Are you using your freedom to seek justice in our world? 

Prayer:

Lord God, 

Help us to live as your rescued people. Remind us that true freedom comes only from you. Guide us away from the temptation to be enslaved so that we might seek your justice in our world. You have made us for freedom, Lord please make us free. 

We pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

God made us for community

We need one another. God created us with the desire to belong and to be known. We often carry a fear of being rejected or of not being enough, but the Church is created to be different. Community is at the very heart of God’s character; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, relating in perfect union. As His people, we are created to embody that vision in the way that we share our lives in authenticity, humility, and empathy. We believe that all of us have a story that is a unique testimony, and that each of us has something vital to offer our family.

Romans 12:4-5 says, 

For in the same way that one body has so many different parts, each with different functions; we, too—the many—are different parts that form one body in the Anointed One. Each one of us is joined with one another, and we become together what we could not be alone.

We all have a role to play in the opportunity for Ecclesia to eliminate our remaining debt at 1100 Elder. Believing that we can do much more together than we could ever do alone, we are hopeful that God will continue to do incredible things in and through our community. 

Daily Reflection: 

Take a few minutes to read 1 Corinthians 12. What unique gifts do you have to offer our Ecclesia family? What gifts could you call out in those you know and love? 

In place of daily devotionals on Saturday and Sunday, we invite you to join us this weekend and introduce yourself to a few new people.

Daily Prayer: 

Lord God. 

You call us from isolation, and into restoration. 

We pray that you would guide us into community; 

To offer our stories as a proclamation of your goodness, 

To create a space of safety and love for others to do the same. 

Bind us together, 

Unleash our unique gifts. 

Bring about your renewal in this family. 

Make us more together than we could ever be alone. 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Amen. 

We are Christian

As Christians, we believe, follow, and serve Jesus.  Our lives are centered around his story. The story of Jesus is the story of a God who loves His people so much that He is willing to sacrifice anything to restore His relationship with them. 

1st John 4:10 says: 

“This is the embodiment of true love: not that we have loved God first, but that He loved us and sent His unique Son on a special mission to become an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Christianity is the story of a loving God who sent His son Jesus on a sacred mission to pay the debt of humanity’s sin. Being a Christian means that we not only believe this story, but we are also called to live it out. We are made to give up our lives on behalf of others. We are made to sacrifice whatever it takes in the name of restoration. We are made for the mission of God. We are Christian. 

Daily Reflection:

How can you better live out God’s sacred mission of love? 

What parts of your life could you give up for the sake of others? 

Daily Prayer:

Lord God, 

We thank you for your overwhelming love for us. Help us to be a people who do not just believe your story, but seek to live it out in our daily lives. Show us what in our life needs to be given up on behalf of restoration and relationship. 

We pray this as a family in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen. 

God made us to be Missional

The Church does not exist for the sake of merely sustaining itself. As the Body of Christ we exist as the primary instrument through which God tells His story of love for all people. As members of this body, we are called to participate in this sacred work, both at home and throughout the world. 

Romans 13:8 says—

“Don’t owe anyone anything, with the exception of love to one another—that is a debt which never ends—because the person who loves others has fulfilled the law.”

The opportunity for Ecclesia to eliminate the remaining debt at 1100 Elder would allow us to even more boldly pursue our part in God’s global plan. God is calling us to fight for justice, to seek freedom for the poor and oppressed, and to serve the considerable needs of the city we call home and those of brothers and sisters around the globe. 

Daily Reflection:

How might your words and actions this week serve to bear witness to the Gospel through love for all those God places in your path? 

Knowing that many around the globe are without basic necessary resources, are held in slavery, or are subject to persecution and violence, How can we more genuinely view these burdens as injustices carried by God’s beloved; our own family? 

Daily Prayer:

Lord God, 

We confess that all too often, our hearts are consumed only by that which affects us directly. We thank you for calling us into community, and into mission. Make us instruments of your peace. Guide us in the ways we’re called to love others in your name. As we give, and hope; remind us that you are already at work. Allow us to humbly join you, however you might call us to take part. 

We pray this as a family, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen. 

God made us to be Holistic.

photo: asher castillo

It is often tempting to separate life in to things that we view as purely sacred and things that we view as purely secular. This dichotomy may be comfortable or familiar, but it is not true. The truth is that God is ruling over all things and seeking to work through all things. 

1st Chronicles 29: 11-12 says 

11 "Indeed everything that is in the heavens and

           the earth belongs to You.

     The kingdom belongs to You,

          O Eternal One, and You are the head of it all.

12  Wealth and glory come from You,

        and You rule over them all." 

 

Everything belongs to God. This means that tucking your kids in bed at night is sacred. Sitting in Houston traffic- sacred. That dinner with your parents- sacred. As we seek to eliminate our debt on 1100 elder, we must acknowledge that the money we have and the money we give is sacred. Our wealth, big or small, is a sacred gift from God. 

We are made to be holistic, and we are made to embrace the gift of our fully sacred life. 

Daily Reflection:

Do you live your life as if it all belongs to God? 

How could your generosity help you embrace the gift of your fully sacred life? 

Daily Prayer:

Lord God, 

We confess that we often fail to acknowledge the sacred nature of our life. Help us to know that all of life comes from you, and you rule over all. As we give our finances, remind us that they never really belonged to us. 

We pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.