Ephesians 2:11-13 (NKJV)
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:11-13 (NKJV)
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
There is a humility that this passage always produces in me when I read it. Understanding that we were once enemies of God and far from him always does two things, it reminds me of the goodness and the mercy of God, and it fills my heart with gratitude for the price that was paid for me.

If we are not careful, we can find ourselves puffed up or arrogant that we are inside the family of God while others are not yet. The gospel is central around the message that in our sin, before we ever turned toward God and decided to make Him Lord, He said yes to us.

Verse twelve lets us in on what we did not have without Christ. First, we remember we didn’t have Him, He is the key to everything else. Second, we were outside the family of God’s people Israel, and we did not have the same promises that they had through their family line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Lastly, because of the first two things we were without hope. We had no hope because we did not know God or have access to Him.

Of all the promises that we have, realizing that we can have hope during various trials and circumstances is so wonderful. We can use our faith and claim the promises of God that we know have in and though Christ our Lord. This of course does not mean that trial will not come, but when it does, we are not wondering around as hopeless foreigners in a land that is not ours.

Ephesians 2:19 (NKJV)
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.