Friday 29 Oct 2021

October 29: Ephesians 2:13-16
 
Key Verse: Ephesians 2:14
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility

Devotion:
Have you ever become friends with someone who you never thought you would even like? We don’t have to look too far throughout history to find this type of thing going on all over the place – people making friends after swearing they would be enemies for life... or becoming arch rivals even though they swore they would stick together no matter what!
 
Humans tend to go overboard with feelings and emotions when they should not and clam up and hide their feelings when they should be letting go! God has seen this happening from the beginning of time, and yet He continues to share His open love with us all. If we swore to be His enemy and then changed our minds, we would be forgiven and accepted back into His family!
 
The Jews had built up a hatred for the people around them, not because God had commanded them not to mix with others early in their history, but because they took those feelings and emotions too far, allowing them to get the better of their lives. The more they allowed the hatred to build up, the more they hated the people who were not Jews – just because they were not Jews!
 
God allowed Jesus to give His life for everyone, not just the Jews, but the whole world, using the Jews as the example. He continued to try and show the world how much He loves us all and wants us to see the futility of building things up around our own notions of what we think is right and wrong. God allowed Jesus to pay the price for everyone in the hopes we will come together and see how much stronger we can be when we live together as one family instead of perpetually fighting!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you carry grudges around with you?
 
Will you give them to Christ to allow Him to help you forgive and move on?