Read Ephesians 2:13-17.

“Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances: for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace” (v. 15). 

Paul seems to be referencing the difference between Jews and Gentiles. They did not look kindly on each other. This animosity was graphically demonstrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Usually, what Samaritan would go out of his way to do anything for a Jew? Jesus came to abolish that kind of thinking.

Satan generated that way of viewing others. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, some Europeans viewed Jews with hatred. Men like Hitler and Stalin thought of annihilating the Jewish people. Today, in many parts of the world, Jesus's followers are hated, regardless of whether Jew or Gentile. Some are wrongfully treated, some are persecuted, and some give their lives just because they are followers of Jesus. Jesus taught us to love our fellow man.

When we experience the New Birth, we experience a newness never-before known. The old man is now a new man. Not only is there a change between Jew and Gentile, but skin color or nationality is no longer an issue. Gender is not an issue. Our generation's hatred becomes a love for lost souls when we exchange our old sin-cursed nature for the transforming Divine-Love-filled nature Jesus died to provide for all. (MAH)

Red and yellow, black and white:

All are precious in His sight.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit includes a baptism of Divine Love

Read Jeremiah 2:21-24.

"For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God" (v. 22).

A former Colgate Palmolive soap factory employee relates that although there are newer processes for making soap, the essentials are more or less the same as when made on the farm from soda ash and the lard rendered from a pig. The raw ingredients to make soap are oils – palm oil, coconut oil, or even fish oil; for bar soap, caustic soda or lye from soda ash; and for soft soap, caustic potassium from potash.
These ingredients are boiled in huge vats. After the vats are cooled, and the chemical reaction results are removed, it is necessary to clean the vats, which are heated by huge, coal-fired boilers. The soot must be cleaned from the horizontal six-foot-high pipes leading to the chimney stacks. The unfortunate part of this process is that even though you have a lot of soap available, you can not get clean. At the end of the two weeks, it takes to clean the pipes, the employees have to throw their clothes into the garbage. After many showers, they still don’t look clean. They bare stains that even soft soap won’t clean!
We face the same problem. We have many remedies for cleaning up our lives that have been fabricated by man. We have seminars, AA meetings, NA meetings, self-help books, support groups, and therapy sessions, but even though these methods may give temporary relief, none of them can remove the stain of sin. Only the atoning blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse the stain of sin from the heart and life of a repentant individual who believes in the Son of God for salvation. (Gayle Woods)
Only the atoning blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse the stain of sin.

Read Jeremiah 31:27-30.

“In those days, they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge” (v. 29-30).

“You can’t tell me she’s not your daughter! She looks JUST like you!” Upon seeing my mother and I in our favorite craft and home décor store, the stranger immediately pointed out our resemblance. We smiled and chuckled in agreement. We do look a lot alike. It is easy to see we are related.
As distinctive physical traits get passed down from generation to generation, so do habits, personalities, and character traits. In today’s reading, Jeremiah addresses a proverb of his day. He was trying to balance the concept of generational consequences, though. While our forefathers may have eaten the “sour grapes” of sin, and while we may suffer some of the fallout from their decisions, Jeremiah reminds us that every generation has a choice in this area. That is both good news and bad news. The good news? We can choose differently than our ancestors and take “sour grapes” off our menus. The bad news? If we decide to follow a pattern of family sin and continue eating those “sour grapes,” we should also expect our own punishment. There will be repercussions. Serious ones, in fact. If unforgiven, we can expect to “die for [our] own iniquity.”
Yes, our parents’ choices can and do affect us. But just as their sin cannot send us to hell, neither can their salvation get us into heaven. We are solely responsible for our own actions, responses, and relationship with God. Make good choices today! (SW)
There’s a sad day coming, a sad day coming;
There’s a sad day coming by and by,
When the sinner shall hear his doom:
“Depart, I know you not!”
Are you ready for that day to come?
--- Will L. Thompson