Today's Devotional: May All Who Enter Feel Like They Are Home

 

Welcome Home

Let's make our churches loving places that lead the lost to Christ. 

From Intouch Ministries

May 13, 2023

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Matthew 5:14-16

Church should be a place where we find strength and companions for our journey of faith. But we can’t forget those outside of the congregation. They need to know about Jesus and experience His remarkable love, too. 

1 Peter 2:4-10 is a marvelous passage that explains who we are in Christ. We are the “living stones” of His church, “a holy nation” brought together by the One who “called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Sometimes, we might be tempted to close ranks against the world, to think of life as an “us versus them” situation. Yet Peter plainly tells us that’s not true. “For you once were not a people,” he says, “but now you are the people of God” (v. 10).

Our heavenly Father didn’t shut the church door the minute we walked through it. He didn’t proclaim the club full and forbid any new members. Far from it. New “living stones” are being added every day all around this big, beautiful world of ours, and it’s our privilege to welcome them home. So let’s make our churches warm and welcoming—places where people feel safe and respected and where God’s affection abounds.

Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 8-10