“God’s promises are all on condition of humble obedience.” ~ Ellen G. White
Our history, sadly, is rife with examples of disobedience. The Old Testament, in many ways, is a book about a people who just could not seem to get it right. They were given laws and precepts in order to preserve the community; but, over and over again, they broke God’s laws and found themselves in trouble.
When they were obedient, however, they found incredible wealth and prosperity. God blessed them for their obedience to the point of handing their enemies over to them. In the history of God’s people, a leader arose named Joshua. He led God’s people against the enemy in Jericho and they were victorious. The spoils of that victory were offered up to God and the people prospered.
Today’s Jesse Tree symbol is a ram’s horn in commemoration of the horn that Joshua blew when the walls of Jericho came tumbling down.
In our disobedience, we often build up walls against one another and against the Lord. We do so in order to preserve all that we have. We become greedy and selfish, caring only for our own concerns and wants. Those walls of disobedience need to come down in order for us to live as faithful witnesses of Christ’s love.
Jesus spent His entire ministry tearing down the walls that kept His people from one another and from God. He challenged His followers to be open to others and to communicate on a regular basis with God. He taught them how to pray and modeled how to serve. His example can help our own walls come tumbling down so that we might become the kind of people He is calling us to be.
When we can learn to obey God’s laws, we will have a better chance of changing our lives for the better.
FAITH ACTION: What walls have we constructed that hinder others from being a part of our lives or that hinder us from being closer to God? Work at taking those walls down today.