October 13, 2016 (Thursday)
Bridges on our highways often go unnoticed as we speed over them at 75 mph. But there are many of them. Only the grand and glorious bridges, however, get much attention. One such bridge is going to be built at Corpus Christi over the next five years. Baseball fans at Whataburger Field, who now view the existing Harbor Bridge in the outfield, will be overwhelmed by the new, beautiful structure that will feature a roadway sixty-seven feet higher than the present bridge, which is now almost 60 years old. People seated in the right field stands will see the bridge as backdrop for the stadium.
Ancient Israelites did not bother with bridges. God simply dried up a path through the Red Sea and later, the Jordan River, so that His People could safely cross on dry land. The rest of us, however, need bridges.
Bridges overcome pitfalls and hazards, usually creeks or rivers, swamps or railway yards or something else. Jesus faced a new kind of obstacle: a barrier that separated different kinds of people. Here’s how Paul explained it: “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14 ESV).
Christ is able to tear down the walls, bridge the gaps, conquer the barriers, dry up the floods, and whatever else is necessary to bring people together. There are all kinds of things that keep us apart, that separate us as human beings. There is One Great Healer of our divisions. He is our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who bridged the gap between a holy God and sinful people through His death, burial and resurrection, who can be the bridge that unites us all.
Years ago a well-known evangelist used a big truck to criss-cross the country. Giant words on the side of that big vehicle shouted, “Christ Is The Answer.” Christ is still the answer. If we don’t think He is the answer, perhaps we are asking the wrong questions; maybe we should learn to ask the right questions. In order to do that, we need to know what is important to the Lord–redeeming a people who will love one another, forgive each other, and live together in peace. Christ makes that possible and He indeed is the answer to the seemingly insurmountable problems of our present day.
Let us become bridge builders for the Lord. Let us surrender our wills to His will. Our yielding control of our lives to the Holy Spirit will produce in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We can then be part of the solution instead of the problem. We can discover for ourselves a richer, fuller, happier life in Christ.