Lenten Devotion – Accepted In God’s Family
Day 20, 7 March 2024
“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.” Hebrews 7:1-3
The author of Hebrews, in introducing Melchizedek and his encounter with Abraham, makes it a point to emphasize how great Melchizedek is, despite him being an outsider.
Jesus too came into this world as an outsider, radically living out and establishing His new order of things. Ultimately paying the highest price to redeem us all. Such is His great love.
When Brina and I first started our lives in Hong Kong, we never imagined that this journey of courtship, marriage and eventually parenthood would span over a decade. In this journey we sometimes felt like strangers on the fringe, in a place that looked, sounded and smelt different. But in this journey God was ever present, even in the times when it did not feel like it. His grace was always sufficient for us.
Continuing our journey back in Singapore, we need his grace more than ever. Even as new challenges arise, we are reminded that life is a series of opportunities for growth. Whether living as outsiders or not, we continued depending on his grace.
- Do you feel like an outsider or stranger in your place in life?
- Do you feel like you don’t belong to your community no matter how hard you try?
- Do you feel limited by the fact that you are not among the “locals” and will never be recognised despite your efforts?
Don’t be discouraged as in Christ, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household (Eph 2:19).
May you be comforted that Jesus our great high priest, who sits at the right hand of the Father making priestly intercessions on our behalf, was also once an outsider. By trusting in the Father, he founded the new family of God and is both able to receive you in his family and help you flourish where you are.
Luke and Brina Cheong