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t the foreman's signal, the “For Christ Himself is our way of the feud ended at last at the believers - race, status, wealth,
giant ball is released, and peace. He has made peace cross” (Ephesians. 2:14-16 LAB). education, personality? God
Awith dynamite force and a between us Jews and you “In this new life one's nationality calls you to unity: break down
reverberating crash, it meets the Gentiles by making us all one or race or education or social those walls and embrace all
wall, snapping bricks like twigs family, breaking down the wall of position is unimportant; such brothers and sisters in Christ!
and scattering pieces of mortar. contempt that used to separate things mean nothing. Whether a Christian relationships must be
Repeatedly, the powerful pendu- us. person has Christ is what matters, full of forgiveness and accep-
lum works, and soon the barrier By His death He ended the angry and He is equally available to all” tance. Can you forgive those who
has been reduced to rubble. resentment between us, caused (Colossians 3:11 LAB). have wronged you?
Then it is carted away so that by the Jewish laws which What separates you from fellow -Life Application Bible, 1988.
construction can begin. favoured the Jews and excluded
Life has many walls and fences the Gentiles, for He died to annul ll day long Amos took care of sheep - not a particularly
“spiritual” job - yet he became a channel of God's message
which divide, separate, and the whole system of Jewish laws.
compartmentalize. Not made of Then He took the two groups that Ato others [as prophet of God].Your job may not cause you to
wood or stone, they are personal had been opposed to each other feel spiritual or successful, but it is a vital work if you are in the
obstructions, blocking people and made them parts of Himself; place God wants you to be. God can work through you to do
from each other and from God. thus He fused us together to extraordinary things, no matter how ordinary your occupation.
But Christ came as the great Wall become one new person, and at Television and movies are filled with images of people who seem to
Remover, tearing down the sin last there was peace. have no fear. Many today have sought to model their lives after
partition which separates us As parts of the same body, our these images - they want to be tough at any cost. But God is not
from God and blasting away the anger against each other has impressed with tough actions. He says that even the toughest of
barriers which keep us from each disappeared, for both of us have men will run in fear when His judgment comes.
other. been reconciled to God. And so Can you think of people who consider themselves tough enough to
make it without God? Don't be swayed by their self-assured
rhetoric. Recognize that God fears no one, and one day all people
will fear Him.
Israel had forgotten how to do what was right. The more they
sinned, the harder it was to remember what God wanted. The same
is true for us. The longer we fail to deal with sin, the greater its hold
on us. Finally, we forget what it means to do the right thing. Are you
on the verge of forgetting? There is one sure remedy for a world that
is sick and dying in sin - seek God and live. Sin seeks to destroy, but
hope is found in seeking God. In times of difficulty - seek God! In
personal discomfort and struggle - seek God! When others are
struggling, encourage them to seek God too!
