Verse
For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
— Romans 2:28-29 ESV
Thought
Prejudice based on a person's skin color or type is an unholy and divisive stain empowered by the divisive powers of hell. To view people based on their ethnicity, their skin color, their tribe, or their language is to remain trapped in the sin-dominated world that Satan inflicted on us after the fall. Jesus came to tear down the walls that separate people from each other and bring us together, through the Holy Spirit, into one new body — his body, the church — where he animates and empowers us through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:11-22). So our race is not determined by our skin color but by the presence of God's Spirit. We are the cleansed and claimed people of God — spiritually "circumcised" — by the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Father, we confess that we have allowed petty differences, racial prejudices, tribal conflicts, and regional rivalries to inflict wounds on the body of Christ. We ask — I ask personally — that your Holy Spirit work in each of our hearts to tear down these barriers and help us welcome and cherish each other based on our allegiance to Jesus as Lord and on the presence of your Spirit within us. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2017. All rights reserved.
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For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
— Romans 2:28-29 ESV
Thought
Prejudice based on a person's skin color or type is an unholy and divisive stain empowered by the divisive powers of hell. To view people based on their ethnicity, their skin color, their tribe, or their language is to remain trapped in the sin-dominated world that Satan inflicted on us after the fall. Jesus came to tear down the walls that separate people from each other and bring us together, through the Holy Spirit, into one new body — his body, the church — where he animates and empowers us through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:11-22). So our race is not determined by our skin color but by the presence of God's Spirit. We are the cleansed and claimed people of God — spiritually "circumcised" — by the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Father, we confess that we have allowed petty differences, racial prejudices, tribal conflicts, and regional rivalries to inflict wounds on the body of Christ. We ask — I ask personally — that your Holy Spirit work in each of our hearts to tear down these barriers and help us welcome and cherish each other based on our allegiance to Jesus as Lord and on the presence of your Spirit within us. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2017. All rights reserved.
