Breaking Down The Walls

“For He himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.” (Ephesians 2:14)

God knows only one breed of human beings: His children. So if heaven looks like a varied group of saints, shouldn’t the Kingdom of God on earth look the same? True Godly reconciliation means we should be united with people who are not like us; we are no longer strangers-we are all one-because of Christ’s death. We have all sorts of ways of dividing ourselves, and many of us fear our differences and the unfamiliarity which those differences bring. But in order to become one, we first have to overcome our fear of differences by facing them head on and by changing the way we perceive them. As Christians, we are called to take seriously our part in knocking down the barriers and the walls that divide us, and to build bridges of love and reconciliation instead. If we leave this wall standing, it prevents others from seeing what Christ has done in our lives and from sharing the gospel with those who live without hope and without God in their lives – the very people who need to hear Christ proclaimed the very most!  :) As we live in harmony with each other, they will see that God is love!

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3)

I don’t think there’s really anything wrong with associating with like-minded individuals and people with similar backgrounds as long as we don’t put up a wall of division to others who are different in nature. God certainly doesn’t put up these barriers, and the walls we can build up, He can certainly tear down! God’s desire for us is that we look beyond any economic, gender, or racial barriers that divide us and prevent us from living and loving as one entity. To complete this task that He has set before us, we have to be willing to be led and work in harmony to break down the barriers that we construct between each other so that the world may believe and know the love of Christ as reflected in our love for each other.

“And in Him you two are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22)

Christ formed all of us into a body and into a group of individuals whose purpose is to be united and reconciled in our love for one another and for the Lord. Our goal as a Christian should be to have unity among us and to reflect Christ’s love for the world through our love for each other.

 “The union of men with God is the union of men with one another.” Thomas Aquinas

A Few Of My Favorite Things

A heartfelt thanks to my encouraging and inspirational blogger pal Pam

who awarded me the "Versatile Blogger" award!

I am honored to recieve this loving award from such a faithful Christian Blogger friend! :) The purpose of this award is to share seven things about myself and then to pass it on to friends who will share a little bit about themselves, too.

Here are seven of my favorite things:

• Being the first one up in the morning and enjoying a peaceful time with God when there are absolutely no distractions! :)
• Chili peppers! I love the vibrant colors and the smell of roasting all my favorite peppers...and I like them HOT! :)
• My favorite verse is Isaiah 40:31 ~ it is a constant reminder that even the strongest people grow weary and tired, but God is never to busy or tired to help and listen. He will strengthen us to rise above all of life's difficulties. :)
• My favorite pastime is cooking; I love to collect recipes and create something new. It's all about presentation! Thank goodness for my husband who "amuses" me and (most of the time!) cheerfully eats whatever I serve up! :)
• I love spending time and having fun with family and friends; there is just not enough time in the day to experience all of life's pleasures; I will never be too old to have fun! I love making lots of special memories. :)
• Experiencing the dawning of the morning; there is nothing more tranquil then the first sign of daybreak, when all is quiet and peaceful and the sky starts to light up with it's magical colors. :)
• My favorite season is fall when the air is crisp and the colors of orange, red, and gold start appearing everywhere (same colors as my chili peppers!) :)

Now I would like to pass this award on

to a few of my blogger pals:

Never Forsaken @ theheartandhome.blogspot.com who lives life with joy and thankfulness...

Nancy @ createdforajourney.blogspot.com whose journey as a Christian is so inspiring and uplifting...

Jennifer @ myrefiningprocess.com who shares my desire for redemption, so that we can become more useful in our Christian growth...

Jen @ richfaithrising.blogspot.com whose passion for people and serving the community is a motivation for us all...

Debbie @ heartchoices.com who blogs from her heart and puts a smile on my face everytime I read her post...

Thank you Pam and all of my blogger friends for continuing to share, love, and inspire!