https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+3%3A1-13&version=NIVUK

I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

Ephesians 3:13

It is not said to make them feel guilty, intimidate them, or patronise them. But to let them know who they are. Glory, as said before, is the visible form of who you are—who the Ephesians really are now—the children and the heirs of God, who because of our Lord Jesus Christ can approach God with freedom and confidence (v. 12). This is what even those who originally thought they were children of God could not do. But now that the mystery and intent are known and achieved by our Lord and his Holy Spirit, this can be done freely. To let them know this in the head as well as in the body was not an easy job for Paul, though he was called for it. Thus he ‘suffers’ to reveal their glory, their identity, and in turn, it makes Paul’s identity known—the servant of this gospel, a prisoner of Christ Jesus.

What makes you known for who you are? You can be many things, according to the various gifts God can give out, but if you find it in making others know who they really are, the heirs and children of God, that will be truly meaningful and in accordance with God’s intent.

Lord, let me say a word or do things in a way that reassures those closest around me that they are children of God who can freely and confidently go to God.

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• Who would you say you are in the Lord? How would you identify yourself?

• Do you think that identity comes through in the way you treat other people? When does it come out the best or worst?

• What do you need in order to make it work better or more consistently?