A young African refugee who goes by the name of Steven is a man without a country. He thinks he may have been born in Mozambique or Zimbabwe. But he never knew his father and lost his mother. She fled civil war, traveling country to country as a street vendor. Without ID and unable to prove his place of birth, Steven walked into a British police station, asking to be arrested. Jail seemed better to Steven than trying to exist on the streets without the rights and benefits of citizenship.

年轻的史蒂芬是个无国籍的非洲难民，他不确定自己的出生地，不知道父亲是谁，母亲也去世了。他的母亲曾因内战而逃离故乡，成为各国游走的路边小贩。史蒂芬既无身分证，也无出生证明，于是他走进一所英国警局，请求警方将他逮捕入狱。对史蒂芬而言，没有公民的权利和福利，监狱似乎比在街头流荡更好。

The plight of living without a country was on Paul’s mind as he wrote his letter to the Ephesians. His non-Jewish readers knew what it was like to live as aliens and outsiders (2:12). Only since finding life and hope in Christ (1:13) had they discovered what it meant to belong to the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3). In Jesus, they learned what it means to be known and cared for by the Father He came to reveal (Matt. 6:31–33).

当保罗写信给以弗所地区的信徒时，心中浮现的正是无国籍者的困境。他的这些非犹太读者深知，作为局外人和外邦人的苦境（以弗所书2章12节）。只有当他们得着基督里的生命和盼望之后（1章13节），才能发现成为天国子民的真谛（马太福音5章3节） 。在基督里，他们认识这位基督所表明的天父，体会祂的接纳并看顾（马太福音6章31-33节） 。

Paul realized, however, that as the past fades from view, a short memory can cause us to forget that, while hope is the new norm, despair was the old reality.

不过，保罗知道随着时间的流逝，我们很容易忘记过去自己也曾经是绝望的外邦人，如今却蒙恩得着盼望。

May our God help us to live in security—to know each day the belonging that we have as members of His family is by faith in Jesus Christ and to understand the rights and benefits of having our home in Him.

愿上帝帮助我们心中有平安，谨记我们已经因相信耶稣基督而成为上帝家中的一员，拥有上帝所赐的一切，享受天国子民的权柄和恩典。

Lord, as we remember how hopeless we were before You found us, please help us not to forget those who are still on the street.

亲爱的主啊，当我们思想，
被祢寻回之前的失丧与绝望，就求祢帮助我们，
莫忘现在仍然困苦无依的人们。