Goldfish in the Morgue Devotional
Day 1 - Identification (Ephesians 1:1-14)
IDENTIFICATION
Scripture Passage: Ephesians 1:1-14
Focal Verse(s): In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. ~ Ephesians 13-14
In forensic death investigations, there is nothing more important than proper identification of the dead person you’re investigating. Doesn’t matter if the pathologist knows precisely what killed the individual or not. It doesn’t matter of she knows the caliber of weapon and the precise trajectory the bullet passes through the body. If you don’t know who the victim is, detectives will struggle with finding a motive. And no motive means finding a suspect is infinitely trickier. But it’s not just about identifying a killer. Without knowing one’s identity, there’s no way to notify loved ones about the death. There’s no way to give them the closure they desperately need. In times like these, justice for the death itself takes a backseat to the simply not knowing by these grieving family members.
There are many methods, of course, to prove identity. Sometimes, it’s just simply comparing a person with their ID photos from their driver’s licenses. Others involve far more scientific approaches such as fingerprints, dental records, or DNA.
In Ephesians chapter one, Paul goes to some lengths assuring the church of Ephesus of their own identities. Their spiritual pedigree. In fact, he spends the first half of the first chapter going into painstaking care discussing their Kingdom DNA. Discussing their eternal fingerprints. You see, our identities are inseparably linked to our family. Our parents and siblings. Long lost kin. Whether we like it or not, our identities are forever connected with blood. With our genes.
As believers in Christ, there can never be any doubt as to our identities. In fact, the moment we repent of our sins and make Jesus Lord of our lives, a miraculous thing transpires. We become royalty. We become children of the Most High! Jesus’ DNA is grafted directly into our own and that grafting begins the process of changing us. As we grow in Christ, our identities become more and more like Him. Or at least, they should. Question: Are we looking more and more like Christ today than when we first believed? If not, let’s ask ourselves what’s holding us back? Then, let’s take assurance in our adoption into the family of God and let Him sculpt us as He sees fit.
Father, help us to identify with Christ more and more each day of our lives. Help us to trust you to shape us into the children you want us to be. And assure us that your Son’s DNA is forever now grafted into our own, for your glory and our purpose.
This is Day 1 of a series of devotionals I’ll be doing (every other day…Monday-Wednesday-Friday) through the books of Ephesians, then 1 Corinthians. For those curious, this devotional series is inspired by my book I Died Swallowing a Goldfish and Other Life Lessons from the Morgue, which recounts a number of my strangest cases (or strangest things I’ve ever done in my job) while offering biblical lessons behind each story. It’s completely independent from this devotional. I’m not repurposing stories from it. So, if you’re interested, you can pick up your copy here:
Also I’d ask that if the LORD moves you, you’ll consider providing a donation via ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ or become a paid subscriber. Every little bit helps me keep 4N6 Ministries alive and kicking and reaching people with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Thank ya’ll. I hope the LORD has blessed you in this and stay tuned for Wednesday when we proceed through the books of Ephesians and discuss ‘From Rot to Resurrection’!