Daily Devotional for Saturday, December 21

Ministry of Reconciliation

"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;' 2 Corinthians 5:18.

Perhaps one of the sharpest pains we may experience in life is to be estranged from someone we love. Founding father Benjamin Franklin experienced this pain firsthand. His son, William, with whom he had at one time been very close, disagreed with his father on the issue of allegiance to the king of England. This difference in ideology caused the once close father and son to be deeply divided. The relationship was never mended, and Franklin's personal letters reveal the deep pain caused by the break and how he longed for reconciliation.

In a similar manner, God longs for the restoration of His fellowship with man. Hear God's heart in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Man's conflict with God is due to sin. God is holy, andman is a sinner. The sacrifice of God's Son removes the guilt and stain of sin for the believer, thus reconciling the fellowship between maker and creature. Such reconciliationbrings joy in Heaven (Luke 15:7).

God has chosen His church to deliver this good news to the unsaved. Ours is a joyful task of bearing the good news that God, despite our sin, is willing to forgive us based on the price paid by His Son Jesus. Receiving God's invitation brings us into a reconciled status which gives joy to the restored and glory to the Father, "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry" (Luke 15:24). Give yourself to this ministry.

A FINAL THOUGHT

So long as there is life there is hope. Never give up on reconciliation, whether with God or with the wayward.

John Nations