Cities with strong defenses have wide walls, as Jerusalem once did in its glory. The New Jerusalem must also be protected by a wide wall of separation from worldly customs and behaviors. Today, the dividing line between the church and the world is fading. Many who claim faith are no longer strict in their conduct. Questionable books are read freely, frivolous entertainments fill our time, and a general looseness threatens to erase the distinctiveness that sets God's people apart.

It will be a sad day for both the church and the world if this merging is complete, mingling the followers of God with those who reject Him. This unity will invite God's judgment. Let it be your goal to uphold this distinction in your heart, words, clothing, and actions, knowing that friendship with the world is hostility towards God. The broad walls of Jerusalem were a place for its people to enjoy the view of the land around them. Similarly, God's commands allow us to walk freely in communion with Jesus, seeing beyond the world's distractions to glimpse heaven's glory.

Though we're set apart from the world, avoiding ungodliness and fleshly desires, we're not confined. We have freedom because we follow His commands. Tonight, walk with God by abiding in His word. Just like meeting a friend on a city wall, meet God in prayer and thought. You have the right to explore the walls of salvation because you're a citizen of His kingdom.