Be Reconciled to God 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
On a cool summer day high in a green mountain meadow, with tiny yellow flowers everywhere and surrounded by mountains, I sat in awe of God and his magnificent creation. I was at peace and felt God’s Presence with me. We shared a wonderful morning together in that beautiful place and I came away renewed and refreshed. I recently had this wonderful experience because on another summer evening long ago in chapel service at Baptist summer camp, I gave my heart and my life to God, through Jesus Christ my Savior. I was reconciled to God that night. He woke me up and got my attention. I felt his Presence for the first time and my life was changed forever.
Being Reconciled to God is exciting! From when we first wake up and realize that the One and only God loves us, that He sent Christ to redeem us through the cross, and that we desperately need Him to make it through this life on earth and to receive eternal life with God. We seek forgiveness of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We begin a new and exciting life with God.
Well, at first our life with Jesus is exciting. We feel alive and willing to give ourselves to God. We study the Bible and go to church regularly and get involved in every ministry and mission we can to show God and others how faithful we are. I’m speaking of my personal experience here. This is how I was when I was first saved. I couldn’t get enough of reading the Bible, I even stayed up late some nights to watch Jim Baker on the PTL club. But as time went on I felt alone in my new-found faith. My family didn’t understand me and teased me when I talked about Jesus and being saved. My mom thought I had been brainwashed at the Baptist camp that I had gone to. I didn’t know how to defend my new faith or explain how I was changed inside. ( I realize now, that I was not brainwashed. By Jesus and through him; I was cleansed and made whole.)
Through this reconciliation we also begin a relationship with God that continues forever!
Where you are, you can be reconciled to God. You don’t have to climb a mountain or go to a beautiful place. If you are far from God, just call out to him. Seek him. Surrender your self fully to him; mind, body and soul.
In addition to being reconciled to God ourselves, He calls us to be Christ’s Ambassadors, in helping others to be reconciled to God too.
We all have a part in this ministry of reconciliation. We can pray for others, we can talk with those people whom God brings into our lives and share our own reconciliation stories with them. We can reach out to those who are in need, lost, hurting, or sick. We can encourage them daily to seek God to help them through what ever they are going through. As they come to accept Jesus and the gift of reconciliation that He has for them, they begin to trust him for themselves and come into their own relationship with God.
So What is your story, have you reconciled with God yet? If not, what are you waiting for? If so, are you growing in your faith and helping others find theirs?
Don’t miss out either way. Seek God for what He wants you to do to grow closer to Him and for who He wants you to help be reconciled to Him.
Father God,
Help us today to be reconciled to you. Help us to live the life that you intend us to live, with you living in us and through us each and every day.
Thank you Jesus, for the gift of love, mercy and salvation through grace that you have given to each of us and continue to offer to those who haven’t yet joined up with you. Help us to let go of our old broken selves and to live in our new fresh, born again selves. We surrender ourselves to you God; Body, Mind and Spirit. For your Glory. Amen.
Patrice