Fireworks of Life

Welcome to this New Year's Eve edition of Our Daily Bread. Today's reading titled Fireworks of Life was written by Patricia Rabin. On New Year's Eve, when high-powered fireworks detonate across cities and towns worldwide, the noise is loud on purpose. By their nature, say manufacturers, flashy fireworks are meant to split the atmosphere, literally.

Repeater blasts can sound the loudest, especially when exploded near the ground. Troubles, too, can boom through our hearts, minds, and homes. The fireworks of life, family struggles, relationship problems, work challenges, financial strain, even church division, can feel like explosions rattling our emotional atmosphere. Yet we know the One who lifts us over this uproar. Christ Himself is our peace, Paul wrote in Ephesians 2.14. When we abide in His presence, His peace is greater than any disruption, quieting the noise of any worry, hurt, or disunity. This would have been powerful assurance to Jews and Gentiles alike.

Verse 12 says they'd once lived without hope and without God in the world. Now they face threats of persecution and internal threats of division, but in Christ they'd been brought near to Him and consequently to each other by His blood. Verse 14 says, for He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. As we start a new year with threats of unrest and division ever rumbling on the horizon, let's turn from life's noisy trials to seek our ever present peace.

He quiets the booms, healing us. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Ephesians chapter 2 verses 12 through 18. Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Let's pray. Dear Jesus, when our relationships with others seem to be like the tumultuous noise of fireworks that shock and unsettle us, draw us to your peace. You can bridge even the greatest divide and bring about reconciliation. We come to you in prayer pleading for your help and your wisdom to heal even the most difficult circumstances. Our hope is in you. Thank you, Lord. It's in your healing name that we pray, Jesus. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.