Choosing Love Today: Ephesians - Episode 4: "Who We Are: Redeemed and Welcomed Home"

Ephesians –  “Who We Are: Redeemed and Welcomed Home”    Hi everyone and welcome back to Choosing Love Today!   Today's message is very personal one to me because it's one I experienced over 50 years ago. I wasn't a terrible teenager, but I sure was a know-it-all and I gave my parents all kinds of grief. The sad part is it hurt my mother terribly and secondly, I lost my father in a tragic car accident just 2 ½ years later just after we were mending our relationship. I tell you all that to ask you this question....Have you ever had a moment where you felt like you’d gone too far? Not just a mistake — but a decision, a season, or a choice that made you wonder if you could ever get back to where you once were. Those moments can make us question whether God still wants us, still welcomes us, still calls us His own. If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone. Jesus told a story about someone who felt exactly that — the Prodigal Son. The younger son didn’t just drift away; he ran away. He took his inheritance early, left home, and spent everything on a life that promised freedom but delivered emptiness. When the money ran out, so did the friends. And he found himself alone, hungry, and working in a place he never imagined he’d be. Scripture says he finally “came to himself.” (Luke 15:17) That moment is important. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t spiritual fireworks. It was quiet clarity — the kind that comes when you’re tired of running and tired of pretending. He realized he had nothing left: no dignity, no resources, no plan. And he thought the best he could hope for was to return home as a servant. Not a son. Not restored. Just tolerated. But here’s the part we often miss: The father had been watching for him. Jesus says that “while he was still a long way off,” the father saw him. That means the father had been looking down that road every day, hoping, praying, waiting for the slightest silhouette of his son returning. And when he finally saw him, he didn’t stand still. He didn’t fold his arms. He didn’t wait for an apology. He ran to him. He embraced him. He covered him. He restored him. He celebrated him. He didn’t say, “Let’s talk about what you did.” He said, “My son was lost… and now he’s found.” (Luke 15:24) That’s redemption. That’s restoration. That’s identity. Ephesians 1 tells us the same truth about who we are in Christ: We are redeemed — not because we never fail, but because God never stops welcoming us home. Your identity isn’t defined by your detours. Your worth isn’t erased by your mistakes. Your place in God’s family isn’t fragile. Maybe today you’re carrying something you regret. Maybe you’re wondering if God wants you back. Maybe you’re afraid you’ve gone too far. Hear this clearly: You haven’t. You’re loved. You’re welcomed. You’re redeemed. So today, walk like someone who has already been invited home. Think like someone who has already been forgiven. Live like someone who has already been restored. Because that’s exactly who you are… in Christ. (and by the way, the last words my father and I told each other that Friday night before he dies were.....I love you.) And that why I keep Choosing Love Today.