Morning Moments

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

The Great Wall of China is 1,864 miles long and 16-20 feet high. It took over 200 years to complete it. A few years ago the illusionist David Copperfield appeared to have walked through that wall on national television. I watched it myself. Remember, it was but an illusion. I do not have a clue how he did it, but it surely looked like he did it.

Often in our lives we build walls around our hearts to keep our intruders, but our text makes it perfectly clear that there is One who see through the walls. God has designed each of us for intimacy, that close oneness with a healthy separateness that brings fulfillment to our lives, but we hide from each other and often try to hide from God Himself. Intimacy in any relationship will never occur unless the walls come down. Many of us have spent lots of years erecting what we think protect us only to find that the walls have become a cell in which we are held in bondage. We can't seem get out to give ourselves to anyone, nor can we receive what others have to give us by letting them in. Many of us have become conditioned to the heart pain to such an extent that we would miss it if it were removed. We are as the woman whose husband was an alcoholic for many years. One day he came to know Jesus and was immediately delivered from alcohol addiction, but she could never get use to his being sober. It created a whole new set of problems for her.

Have you built such walls around your heart so that no one can penetrate it? You have said, "I just don't want to be hurt again." In truth, love hurts, but love heals too. The problem is that when we seek to shut others our, we have really shut ourselves in and do more harm that good. We allow to die something that was made to live and allow to live something that should die.

In the word of President Reagan, "Mr Gorbachev, tear this wall down." It is no illusion that Jesus can walk through the walls so let Him do it and free the prisoner inside.

PRAYER: Lord, sometimes we seek to safeguard that which is to be surrendered. Teach us to build bridges rather than barriers. Help us to see that the walls we build keep us from being "fitly joined together" in our service for you.