TEARING DOWN RELATIONSHIP BARRIERS BETWEEN YOU AND OTHERS

SCRIPTURE:
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have 
been brought near through the blood of Christ. 
(Ephesians 2:13)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever noticed that suddenly 
a wall can arise between you and another person?
It could be an acquaintance, a friend, or a family member.
How do these walls suddenly appear?
At the root of the problem is selfishness – we want things our way 
and when they aren’t, we create walls.

Some contributing factors of selfishness are:
Prejudice (“I don’t like their looks, 
so I’m not going to have anything to do with them”).
Pride (“They don’t deserve my friendship after the things they’ve done”).
Hurt (“They have hurt me to the point I can never forgive them”).
Selfishness (“I want things my way and they don’t agree”).
Words (“What they said offended me”).
Actions (“What they did offended me”).

There comes a time when we wish the wall could be removed, 
but there are some factors that get in the way of reconciliation with others:
Resentment (“After what they did, 
I can’t stand to see them happy or successful”).
Anger (“I am mad at them and want nothing to do with them”).
Hurt feelings (“They have hurt me so deeply 
that I don’t want their friendship”).
Pride (“I could never be friends with someone like that”).
Bitterness (“I’ll never get over what they did”).
Insecurity (“If they treated me that way once, they will do it again”).
Stubbornness (“If they want a relationship with me, 
they will have to take the first step”).

All of these factors disregard how God 
reconciled Himself to us, in spite of the things we do to Him.
How did He reconcile us to Himself?
He did it through a love that overshadowed everything else.
He allowed His only Son, Jesus, 
to go to the cross to provide our access to Him.
For through Him we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access 
to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)

ACTION:
Is there a wall between you and some else?
If so, then rather than dwelling on what they did, think about what 
your Heavenly Father did to tear down the wall between you and Him.
Swallow your pride and selfishness and allow His love to flow through you, 
so you can take the first step in reconciling with the other person.

God sacrificed His Son, but all you need to do is set aside your selfishness 
and love the other person with the same type of love God has for you.
You may still have issues with some things they do and say, 
but you can love the person because he or she is also one of God’s creations.
If God loves them, and you are a follower of the Lord, 
then you need to show love to them too.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love, and for making a way for me 
to have access to You. I was wrong and not You, but You took the first 
step to tear down the wall that prevented me from having access to a 
fellowship with You. Help me to follow Your example of loving and taking 
the initiative to remove any barriers between me and anyone else. Close my 
hears to the voice of Satan when he tries to give me all kinds of rationale 
as to why I should not take the initiative. You know the causes of any walls 
and how my selfishness and pride can deter me from reconciliation. Remove 
these barriers and give me full confidence that loving the other person is 
the right thing to do and it is what You expect of me. Help me to be 
prepared for the possibility that they may not respond in the way I expect 
them to, but show me how to love them anyway.”