“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Every person enters this world in conflict with God. We are naturally selfish creatures, battling for control of our lives while demanding that our needs and wants be satisfied. We are rebels by nature against God’s authority. We chafe at the idea that He should have authority over every single aspect of our lives. Our rebellion against God keeps us in a state of warfare against Him that we can’t end. No matter how hard we try to “be good” we just can’t help ourselves. No matter how hard we work, our secret thoughts, words, or actions nonetheless reflect our rebellion.
However, God took action to end the war. He did what it took to create peace and offer reconciliation to everyone who is in rebellion against Him. He sent His Son Jesus into the world to live a perfect life of obedience to Him and to sacrifice Himself to create peace. Jesus went to the cross, suffered, died, and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins. Through faith in Jesus, the power of His death and resurrection makes every believer a new creation. Our debt of sin has been paid. Our rebellion has been punished on the cross. We don’t need to be at war with God any longer.
If Jesus is your Lord, then through faith in Him, God has reconciled you to Himself. You are at peace with God. You are embraced by Him as His beloved child. You are welcomed into His presence to pray, worship, and fellowship with the Creator of the Universe. AND…
God has entrusted you with the ministry of reconciliation! He has entrusted you with the message of reconciliation through faith in Jesus Christ. You’re now responsible for sharing this message and offering reconciliation to others. All around you are people who are still battling God. Some know it because they hate God or are angry for the pain in their life. Others don’t realize it because they think they’re good enough or their religious rituals are sufficient to make peace on their own terms. All of them need the reconciling message of grace through faith in Jesus!
Will you be God’s ambassador to those at war with Him? Will you be a channel of peace and reconciliation to everyone in your life who needs to know Jesus? If you won’t, who do you think will??? #FollowJesus