Paul writes this about the “saints” in Ephesus,

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV)

As he sought to shape the church in Ephesus, Paul took a moment to remind them who they were before God made them alive in Christ.

Why did he do this? What is so important about these people’s sordid pasts that Paul wanted to remind them of they once were? What good could possibly come of this?

Each of us have a past. Many of us want to run from it or delete it. But God uses our pasts, regardless of what they are for two very important reasons.

First, he wants us to remember our past so that we will always be “wounded healers” as opposed to “healed wounders”. That means that being able to remember our past allows us to love well those around us who are still struggling.

Second, he wants us to remember our past so that we will be deeply aware of the grace that flows to us. When we embrace a radical and costly grace we tell a great story. The great story. The story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation.

To #PracticeResurrection means we need to remember our story and embrace it. What’s your story?

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