Hello there, welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

The devotional for today is titled Jesus is Our Peace, and it was written by Con Campbell.

A monk named Telemachus lived a quiet life, but his death at the end of the fourth century changed the world.

Visiting Rome from the east, Telemachus intervened in the blood sport of the gladiatorial arena.

He jumped over the stadium wall and tried to stop the gladiators from killing each other,

but the outraged crowd stoned the monk to death. The emperor, Hanorius, however, was moved by

Telemachus' act and decreed the end of the 500-year practice of gladiator games. When Paul calls

Jesus Our Peace, in Ephesians chapter 2, he refers to the

end of hostility between Jews and Gentiles. God's chosen people Israel were distinct from the

nations and enjoyed certain privileges. For instance, while Gentiles were allowed to worship at the

Jerusalem Temple, a dividing wall restricted them to the outer court on punishment of death.

Jews regarded Gentiles unclean, and they experienced mutual hostility. But now, because of Jesus' death and resurrection for all,

both Jew and Gentile can worship God freely through faith in Him. There's no dividing wall.

There's no privilege of one group over the other. Both are equal in their standing before God. Just as Telemachus brought peace to warriors

through his death, so Jesus makes peace and reconciliation possible for all who believe in him

through his death and resurrection. So if Jesus is our peace, let's not let our differences divide us. He's made us

one by his blood. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from the Epistle of

Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 11 through 22.

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called uncircumcised by those who

call themselves the circumcision, which is done in the body by human hands,

remember that at that time you were separate from Christ,

excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise,

...