Verse for today – “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1).”

I am sure you would agree that our world is broken. This verse begins to describe the condition of every human being before he/she chooses Christ and is changed by Him! Here, the word “dead” refers to being spiritually dead and separated from God. The words “trespasses” and “sins” refer to thoughts, words, or actions that displease God.

Sadly, contrary to public opinion, this is the condition of all humanity at birth. Many in our day say that we are born basically good. They say that if we will simply “follow our heart” we will find the best path, and all will be well. This idea is nowhere to be found in the Bible and does not align with reality. Throughout all recorded history our world has been filled with war and man’s inhumanity to man! There seems to be no time period on earth that is exempt. The Bible’s evaluation of the situation seems to be much more accurate. The Bible declares that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).” This sin results in our estrangement from Him! Consider these words from the Old Testament: “Behold the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear (Is. 59:1-2).”

As promised in our earlier times together, we will be exploring in this chapter, how one comes to truly BELONG TO CHRIST. We are almost there! But first we must be patient and allow God’s Word to fully explain and fully convince our hearts of our current broken condition. This exploration of our condition will be our journey for the next few days! However, before we part for today, consider the blessing of discovering our true and greatest need.

In Jesus’ most famous message, He begins as follows: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3).” Wait! Did I read that correctly? Blessed are the POOR in spirit? What can Jesus possibly mean? I believe He means exactly what we have been describing. Before we will be convinced of our need for a Savior, we must get an accurate and deep understanding of our brokenness! That is the next few days. Feel free to read ahead in Ephesians. God bless you today dear Reader!