Paul Borthwick was boarding a plane when he saw former US President Gerald Ford being escorted by two dark-suited men. Paul wanted to meet him, but he wondered: “Why would he want to meet me?” Then he recalled having met Ford’s son Mike, when he was in seminary. So he boldly approached the former world leader just before the Secret Service men could stop him, and said, “President Ford, I just wanted to meet you. I know your son, Mike.” Ford and Borthwick then shared a brief but pleasant conversation.

Similar to Paul Borthwick gaining access to President Ford by mentioning the name “Mike,” Paul the apostle reminded the Ephesians that through the name of Jesus, God’s Son, they had access to the heavenly Father and the blessings of salvation.

Paul encouraged the Gentile believers to recall how they had been excluded and separated from Jesus. They had been considered foreigners and aliens to all that God had promised His people Israel—without hope and without God in the world. They had been hopelessly alienated from their Creator and His kingdom. But in and through Jesus, they now had full citizenship in heaven and were members of the household of God. These former “outsiders” were now given access to the Father and the blessings of salvation by the sacrificial death of His Son.

Whether or not we are able to articulate it, one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul is to belong and have access to our Creator and Savior.

This is achieved only through Jesus. Through Him we have access to salvation (John 10:9), peace with and from God (Romans 5:1-2), genuine fulfillment in life (John 10:10), and confidence to approach our heavenly Father to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Revelation 22:1-21