Re-establish your relationship with God and others
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV)
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 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. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
This scripture deals with an important part of the Christian’s life, reconciliation. Reconciliation means to re-establish relationship between or restore to harmony. This scripture not only tells us that God reconciled us to Him through Christ but also that we are now given a ministry of reconciliation as new creations in Christ. This simply means that just as God re-established a relationship with us through Christ and did not count our sins against us. We too are to fulfill the requirements of the ministry of reconciliation by re-establishing relationship with humanity. Out of our appreciation for the love, forgiveness and mercy that God has shown to us through Christ we are to exhibit those same qualities to others. As Christ’s ambassadors we are to represent Christ at all times, in all situations and with all people. Think of it this way, an ambassador of the US represents this country as an authorized representative or messenger by definition. Many times the ambassador is the only impression that someone gets of the US. It is that same way with Christ or Christianity, we are the only impression that others get of Christ and Christianity. Therefore, we should not have relationships in our lives where we have not made an effort to bring into a place of reconciliation.
In order to maximize our lives as new creations we must::
1. Be reconciled to God -Understand that sin separates us from God and we are in need of a strong connected relationship with God not a broken and separated one. If we humbly confess to God our desire and need for Him and accept the gift of Christ in our life then our relationship with God is re-established and made whole.
2. Take the ministry of reconciliation seriously - Do not take this lightly. God never gives us anything that we cannot handle or cannot perform with excellence. Every opportunity that comes your way to build new, maintain existing, or mend broken relationships in your life then do it. It is your responsibility before God to do your best to give to others what you have received from Him.
3. Remember that God is making His appeal through YOU -God has chosen YOU to make an appeal to the world through (vs.20). God desires for you to be His representative therefore we must represent Him in a way that pleases Him. Do your best at all times to show the world what God has done in your life by your behavior. This will build your relationship with God and others as well.
Challenge:
Ask and answer this question. What kind of ambassador of Christ and Christianity am I?
This scripture deals with an important part of the Christian’s life, reconciliation. Reconciliation means to re-establish relationship between or restore to harmony. This scripture not only tells us that God reconciled us to Him through Christ but also that we are now given a ministry of reconciliation as new creations in Christ. This simply means that just as God re-established a relationship with us through Christ and did not count our sins against us. We too are to fulfill the requirements of the ministry of reconciliation by re-establishing relationship with humanity. Out of our appreciation for the love, forgiveness and mercy that God has shown to us through Christ we are to exhibit those same qualities to others.