The Ministry of Reconciliation

The People of God Set Priorities
Bearing One Another's Burdens
An Appeal for Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 The Message

^16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.
²¹ How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

For Reflection

The will of God is that we become stewards of each other.   God calls us to reconcile our relationships with each other as God has reconciled God's relationship with us.  In offering forgiveness, God has given us a new start.  In forgiving others, we initiate a fresh start without strings or expectations for a return.

Pray

that you will forgive.  Pray that your act of forgiving will lead toward making things right among each other.  Pray that all will learn to forgive and take that first step toward ending those things which prevent  righteousness.