Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

Common Ground
Yesterday we saw how the cross was God's tool to reconcile man to Himself. But that's not where the reconciling power of the cross ends. Just as the cross reconciled our vertical relationship with God, it also serves to reconcile our horizontal relationships with our fellow man.
Paul points to this in the Book of Ephesians as he shares how Christ's death on the cross broke down the wall of division that separated the Jews and the Gentiles. To fully appreciate this, we need to understand how this wall got there. For several centuries, the Jews and Gentiles were at constant odds. Jews viewed Gentiles as godless pagans (which they typically were) and Gentiles viewed Jews as extreme religious zealots. In the natural world, they typically had nothing to do with each other.
But the cross changed all that. Because of the cross, both groups realized the thing they did have in common-their sin-was forgiven. In Christ, Jews and Gentiles were brought onto a level playing ground and given a common gift so precious that it transcended their differences.
The same holds true today. Not only does the cross reconcile Jews and Gentiles, it also has the power to reconcile every racial and social distinction in our culture today. In Jesus, we all receive a gift that's greater than any difference we may have with our fellowman, a gift that motivates us to accept and love others without discrimination or distinction.
In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. (Colossians 3:11 NLT)
The cross has the power to reconcile every racial and social distinction in our culture today.
Think about it...
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
Yesterday we saw how the cross was God's tool to reconcile man to Himself. But that's not where the reconciling power of the cross ends. Just as the cross reconciled our vertical relationship with God, it also serves to reconcile our horizontal relationships with our fellow man.
Paul points to this in the Book of Ephesians as he shares how Christ's death on the cross broke down the wall of division that separated the Jews and the Gentiles. To fully appreciate this, we need to understand how this wall got there. For several centuries, the Jews and Gentiles were at constant odds. Jews viewed Gentiles as godless pagans (which they typically were) and Gentiles viewed Jews as extreme religious zealots. In the natural world, they typically had nothing to do with each other.
But the cross changed all that. Because of the cross, both groups realized the thing they did have in common-their sin-was forgiven. In Christ, Jews and Gentiles were brought onto a level playing ground and given a common gift so precious that it transcended their differences.
The same holds true today. Not only does the cross reconcile Jews and Gentiles, it also has the power to reconcile every racial and social distinction in our culture today. In Jesus, we all receive a gift that's greater than any difference we may have with our fellowman, a gift that motivates us to accept and love others without discrimination or distinction.
In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. (Colossians 3:11 NLT)
The cross has the power to reconcile every racial and social distinction in our culture today.
Think about it...
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
Scripture
About this Plan

Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, founded in 1985, has grown to be one of the largest churches in the country, and now has nine regional campuses in Florida in addition to the main campus in Fort Lauderdale. The church has established and now operates dozens of ministries to answer the needs for foster care, addiction recovery, and discipleship training. The church's mission is simply, "make disciples."
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We would like to thank Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for providing this daily devotional. For more information about the church and other media resources it provides for personal discipleship, please visit www.calvaryftl.org
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