NOVEMBER 5 - A Wall of Hostility

NOVEMBER 5 - A Wall of Hostility


For [Christ] himself is our peace . . . and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations . . . to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. — EPHESIANS 2:14 – 16


Bosnia is a splintered country, with towns separated by barbwire and land mines. We had come to offer help to those disabled from the war. A million-and-a-half Muslims live in Bosnia, and only five hundred or so Christians. Ministry here was not going to be easy. At a hospital, Muslim doctors were skeptical but quickly warmed as we discussed rehabilitation philosophy and laughed over the tactics of politicians. Departing, we were invited to return with wheelchairs. Walls of hostility were beginning to come down.


Dario was a young Bosnian-Croat soldier assigned as our driver. He shared his experiences as a commander during the war . . . three years of killing, carnage, rape, and plunder. Land mines exploded at his feet by day and in his head at night. His private horror was unspeakable. On the last day, Dario tucked a letter in the side of my wheelchair. On the plane, I unfolded it: “I asked a German missionary if God can forgive even so big sins like mine. He answered that Jesus pays some 2,000 years ago ALL the sins from this world. That night I fall upon my knees, begging from God to forgive me and change my life. When I wake up next morning, I felt very strange deep peace and joy inside me. I wanted to share that joy with Jesus with others.”


Christ is the only solution for the Jew and Gentile, the Muslim, Arab, and Serb. And for you. What steps can you take to overcome any walls of hostility in your life?


Lord, may I be an instrument of your peace, gracing every circumstance with a spirit of unity . . . for then your blessing will rest upon me.