“For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:15-23, New American Standard Bible).

On November 1, many churches celebrate All Saints’ Day. Originally, it was intended to commemorate all of the saints who did not have their own feast day, particularly those believers who had died as martyrs.

Some churches also celebrate All Souls’ Day (the Book of Common Prayer calls it “The Commemoration of All Faithful Departed) on the following day. That day reminds us that there are countless committed Christians who are not famous but are still faithful servants of Christ. All Christians are “saints,” or “sanctified ones.” We have all been set apart for God’s glory. Some become well-known among Christians or the larger world for their ministries. Many serve Christ faithfully in obscurity, leaving a legacy that touches their families, local churches, and communities. Those lesser-known Christians are important. Most of us were led to Christ by faithful people whose names will never appear in a history book: local church pastors; Sunday school teachers; parents or other relatives; friends or classmates who shared their faith with us; and so on. Their contributions to the kingdom of God matter. In fact, the combined faithful works of unknown soldiers in God’s army outweigh the total impact of all the famous saints throughout the ages.

Chances are you are one of those “unknown soldiers in Christ.” You matter. Your ministry matters to those around you. Count yourself as a saint of God, even if you will be commemorated with the faithful departed on November 2 instead of the spiritual giants on November 1.

Paul wrote the above prayer and devotional to the Ephesian church long before any church officially canonized someone and added the title “Saint” before their name. In Ephesians 1:1, he addressed his letter “To the saints who are at Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus.” This is a prayer for ordinary saints, living their lives now. Pray this prayer for yourself. Pray it over your loved ones who share in the hope and assurance of salvation.

If you believe in Jesus, you are a saint today. Let your life glorify Him to those you meet today.

What does it mean to you to be a saint? How can you make that more of a part of your identity in Christ?

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.