Week Thirteen, 2024
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us (Ephesians 2:14).
There’s a piece of it that sits by my deck as a reminder of how walls can keep us out or keep us in. I flew there shortly after holes were punched in it to allow ingress and egress. Shortly before, people had been shot on sight for trying to go over it. As I stood before it, I saw a sobering sight, bustling prosperity on one side and drab sights of deprivation on the other. It was the Berlin Wall.
Berline Wall
I walked through a hole in the wall into East Berlin and experienced the stark contrast. I was there to purchase former communist assets to be deployed in a free business environment and become a part of the free enterprise economy in the west.
Throughout history walls were built around cities to provide security and keep enemies out. The Berlin Wall was different, designed to keep people in…. people who wanted to escape the tyranny of the East for the freedom of the West.
Metaphorically people build walls. Some around themselves and some around others. We build walls to isolate us from others. The Bible talks a lot about walls, the most noteworthy are the tearing down of the walls of Jericho and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. One was to capture and the other to protect.
Today, more than ever, it is vital to build an impenetrable wall of the word of God around us and our family. The Bible says Jesus is our firm foundation. He is also the corner stone. We build on Him and His word – which, of course, are one.
Every time we pray, confess, or worship God, we are erecting our walls. The more we do this, the greater our wall becomes. The stronger and more fortified it is, as we confess His word over our life and the life of our families.
As you build with the word of God, you and your family become surrounded with the word of God. If you are surrounded by the word of God, you are surrounded by Jesus. If Jesus surrounds you, then you are safe and protected. God is telling me, telling us, to build our walls. To create, with the words of our mouth, a fortified place where we are protected from our enemy. That place is the word of God. That place is the blood of Christ. That place is in Him.
On what foundation are your walls built?
SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
Love…. everything begins and ends with love:
• Loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength
• Loving our neighbors as ourselves
• Loving as we are loved
• Loving the poor, the weak, the brokenhearted and the downtrodden
And putting that love into action… just as Jesus put His love for us into action on the cross. In love, there is no room for prejudice, hate, abuse, divisiveness, or taking advantage of others. In love, there is room at the foot of the cross. How can we better show our love… our love for Jesus… our love for others? Marty Stubblefield
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WORDS OF WISDOM FROM EDGAR APONTE:
• King Jesus has power to forgive sins, because He is God and Lord.
• Forgiveness of sin is your biggest need, and only Jesus can give it to you. You need to come to Him in faith!
• Do not harden your heart. Stop resisting God and honor Jesus!
• In faith and love, bring others before Jesus. Pray for the lost and tell them about Jesus.
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We have expectations laid on us from many sources. Our parents tell us to avoid certain things to keep us safe. Our teachers tell us what to read so as to develop knowledge. Our bosses tell us to work a particular way to obtain the greatest efficiency. When we heed these admonitions, our lives are better for it. We can count on it.
God’s word tells us things as well. “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” Romans 15:7. “Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:17-18. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6. “….truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
God’s Word is true. Count on it. Rich Jensen
QUOTES YOU CAN USE
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William Arthur Ward
It seems to me that if we want to see revival… that if we want to see God do a great work… if we want to see God move, then it begins with us on our knees in prayer. Marty Stubblefield
In order to be faithful to the message and mission of Jesus, we must leave behind religious legalism. Tommy Campbell
Is your hope for heaven something you did or something someone did for you? Trust Jesus now. Edgar Aponte
You can change what a person looks like on the outside, but can’t change one’s real person on the inside. Too often, we look at people the same way. We form our opinions of them by the outside, when it’s the inside that matters. Rich Jensen
There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly. R. Buckminster Fuller
Never, never, never give up. Winston Churchill
Heaven has strict entrance requirements, but hell has open borders. Rodney Akers
My worship was empty because I was too worried about filling me… instead of pouring out and worshiping Him – the one that could and would wash me clean and fill me again. Marty Stubblefield
When you have a true encounter with God, you come away with the realization that God is for you. Dan Shock
The Christian response to sinners in the world is radical love, and compassionate concern that results in Gospel witness. Tommy Campbell
We go to all kinds of seminars to get all kinds of answers, but God has our answers. Ask Him! Matt Blair
If it’s not in God’s time you can’t force it. If it is in God’s time you can’t stop it!
What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet. Anne Frank
All in this world are not disobedient to God but, the devil is the most “cunning” ‘fisher of men’ as his baits are deceitful and enticing. Stephen Bernard
What’s one of the differences between humans and animals? Animals don’t let the weak lead.
Trying to grasp the incredible gift of eternal life is like trying to understand the generosity of our Creator…watching a sunrise and sunset in just a twelve-hour period is a good way to start. Dwight Short
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