Thursday, May 19, 2011

Faith Forum by Gloria Wessner - Breaking Down The Wall

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There is a wall higher than any other known wall in the world that was built back in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time. When Eve chose to disobey God and eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the minute she took a bite that wall was built between God and all of humankind (Genesis 2:16, 17 and 3:6, 11, 19). The wall cannot physically be seen, but we know that it exists because there is no way that any human being can go over, around it, through it or under it. That wall is made by our wrong doings, 'sin' as God's Word calls it, and it separates us from God. It is him, not us, who had to break this wall down so we could find God and have a relationship with him. This is the way he did it:
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” (Ephesians 1:4-7 NLT)

That wall stays up, however, unless we choose to believe in God and what he has done for us through his son, Jesus Christ. When we do choose him, that barrier falls down and we clearly see God, and become his children, 'adopted into his own family' as the above piece says, and he becomes our heavenly Father. He knew before the beginning of time that we would choose the wrong path, so he planned from the very start how this wall between him and us would come down.

“God saved you by his grace (special favor) when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)

When that wall comes down and we are a part of God's family – all kinds of good things happen and our eyes become opened. We are aware of things in such a different way – we see the world differently, our family becomes more precious and we now have resources in God to help them (these are learned as we grow in God in so many different ways through God's word, his people and as we meet with other believers), our priorities change, we long to help others, and so many other things as God's spirit works in our hearts and we cooperate with him as he does so.

An important thing to know is that the result of God's actions in what he has done (mentioned above) are about you and me. But life, and all that has been created, and all that we see and don't see, is about him, and about his love that holds and binds all things together and enables us to have a wonderful and personal relationship with him.

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,..” (Ephesians 2:14 NKJV)

Readers are invited to write Gloria at: gloriawes@hotmail.com.

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