Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Tom Felton, and I titled Our Reading, Walls Torn Down.

Since 1961, families and friends had been separated by the Berlin Wall.

Arected that year by the East German government, the barrier had kept its citizens from Flean

to West Germany. In fact, from 1949 to the day the structure was built, it's estimated that

more than 2.5 million East Germans had bolted to the West.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan stood at the wall in

1987 and famously said, tear down this wall. His words reflected a ground swell of change

that culminated with the wall being torn down in 1989, leading to Germany's joyous reunification.

Paul wrote of a wall of hostility torn down by Jesus in Ephesians 2.

The wall had existed between Jews, God's chosen people, and Gentiles, all other people.

And it was symbolized by the dividing wall, the Soreg, in the ancient temple

erected by Herod the Great in Jerusalem. It kept Gentiles from entering beyond the outer

courts of the temple, though they could see the inner courts. But Jesus brought peace and reconciliation

between the Jews and Gentiles and between God and all people.

He did so by breaking down the wall that separated us by his death on the cross.

The good news of peace made it possible for all to be united by faith in Christ.

Today, many things can divide us.

As God provides what we need, let's strive to live out the peace and unity found in Jesus.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from 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

are separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel

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