Monday April 29th, 2024
« And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you »
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him.
19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
Since Adam and Eve fell and decided to love what God hated, sin brought enmity between man and God (Genesis 3:6).
Unfortunately, this gap has continued to widen because of the lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and pride of life that are still part of man today (1 John 2:15-16).
God however, in His mercy, decided to reconcile mankind to Himself by offering His Son- Jesus, to die for the sins of the world.
He wants to make children out of humans and like the father of the prodigal son, God is patiently waiting for man to come home to eternal bliss.
Matthew 5:9 NKJV says
« Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons and daughters of God »
Who are the peacemakers?
The peacemakers are those who acknowledge their enmity with God, and so forsake their sinful lifestyle and begin to live a life pleasing to God. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 ERV, Paul said
« All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between Himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with Him. I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and Himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And He gave us this message of peace to tell people »
Have you been reconciled with the Lord, your Maker ?
Do not forget that blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9).
After reconciling with God, you must also make efforts to be at peace with anyone who has offended you or whom you have offended.
The kind of reconciliation that would qualify anyone for Heaven must be two-edged, as we see in the memory verse for today.
Forgiveness is also key to perfect reconciliation.
- We cannot be reconciled with God if He does not forgive us; but He did so graciously.
We too must forgive one another for our reconciliation to be complete.
Application – Reconcile with God through genuine repentance today if you are not born again. Also, reconcile with your estranged brother or sister today before it is too late.
Author – Bishop Enoch. A. Adeboye.
Edited by Naomie
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