You Belong Gere – God’s Kingdom is Your Home Too 

By Roxanne Drury 

We often hear that kids can be mean. Unfortunately, they can be. I remember being taunted as a young child because I wore hand-me-down clothing. The words used to tease me crushed my tender heart, and the pain they caused stayed with me for years. They were hurtful and made me feel as though I didn’t belong at the private elementary school I attended. 

As an adult, I came to know the Lord, but because of lingering pain and hurt, I still felt excluded and like a foreigner among those in my close church and work circles. 

I can only assume that others, perhaps you, have experienced the same or similar pain – the kind that erodes our self-confidence and self-esteem. 

After years of reading and studying God’s Word, I finally fully understood just how wrong my thinking was. Check out Ephesians 2:11, NLT: “Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called ‘uncircumcised heathens’ by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.” Paul spoke to the Gentiles about their lives before they knew (accepted) Christ as the Messiah. 

He continues in verses 12-13 of Ephesians chapter 2: “In those days, you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.” Now, Paul says, you know and have accepted the truth of who Christ is and what He has done for you by sacrificing Himself, and that brings you closer to God. 

This is what I learned from these verses: accepting Christ and His sacrifice changes our belonging status. Jumping down to verse 19, it says, “So now…” (meaning now that you have Christ in your life), “you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens, along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” In Scripture, we see in Acts 16:20-23 that strangers and foreigners had no rights or privileges. But God welcomes us into His family as “citizens” when we accept His Son into our lives, granting us full rights and privileges as His sons and daughters. Regardless of our clothing, background, or the choices we have made, we – you and I – belong. We are fellow citizens of God’s eternal kingdom. I love how verse 19 of the Message version reads: “That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here with as much right to the name Christian as anyone.” 

We belong! You belong here, in God’s family. This world is our temporary home; our true citizenship is with God in heaven, where we belong (Philippians 3:20). 

Think about these things: 

1. Do you have Christ in your life? If not, I urge you without delay to talk to your pastor or go to my website at www.roxannedrury.com and read “Seeking God to Know Jesus.”
2. If you do have Christ in your life, what does it mean to you to know with certainty that you belong to the family of God?

Roxanne Drury is a wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Christian preschool teacher who served the Lord in children’s ministry for over 45 years. She has written a group study guide on Psalm 23, as well as other books. She may be reached at [email protected].