2 Cor 5:18 All of this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation….
God loves me so much that He sent His son for my sake, so that I could be restored to Him. As an extension of that gift, He has given me (and you and everyone else who has been freed from the bondage of sin by His mercy) “the ministry of reconciliation.” I’ve never given much thought to this idea before, but it feels incredibly important and powerful, this ministry that has been entrusted to us.
2 Cor 5:19 …that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.
Reconciliation is the act of restoring to friendship or harmony; the act of re-establishing. It is so easy in this world to feel like a total screw-up, like you have messed up so badly that there is just no hope for you. But the astounding beauty of God’s fierce love through Christ is that He wants all of us, every single one of us, reconciled to Him. He wants all of His children to know they are never too far gone to come back home. And He wants US to tell them.
2 Cor 5:20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your all-encompassing love for us. Thank You for seeing our worth in You despite our mistakes and missteps. Thank You for reconciling us to Yourself through Your Son, a gift we could never earn nor deserve. We are not worthy, Lord, but we are so grateful. Help us each to take seriously this ministry of reconciliation. Help us to shine Your light for all to see. Draw us closer. Amen.
2 Cor 5:17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.