Last year, we visited a nature reserve which had started life as a large and unsightly opencast mine. At some point the nearby river flooded and, because there were no barriers (walls) to stop it, the water overflowed into the mine area. Eventually, this became an attractive place teeming with (wild)life.
God is in the business of breaking through walls by the power of his love so that he can truly set people free and bring them into life in all its fullness. To love them into life.
Reflecting on this, I invite you to consider:
- We can build walls around ourselves for all sorts of reasons but, rather than protecting us, they only hinder relationships and prevent the giving and receiving of love.
- God wants to break down these walls of separation with his love, using those who know who they are in him and have been set free. Following Jesus’ example, we reach out not with judgement but with compassion, understanding and in practical ways.
- God is a strong tower we can run into and the church community is a refuge and safe place. However, we aren’t a forbidding fortress on a hill, but a light that attracts. We aren’t to have a fortress mentality – we are not for worldliness but we are for the community around us.
- The blessings we receive are to be shared. The water always flows out from the temple – blessings kept to ourselves can become stagnant. The Holy Spirit needs to flow out to the community – the waters that are moving and stirred up are those that bring healing.
- Let’s keep alert to any attitudes we have that build walls on the basis of difference. The Bible says “God so loved the world“ not “God so judged the world”. The dividing wall between God and man has been broken down and God has taken up residence with and in those he loves.
Janette Battye