2 Corinthians 5:18, 20
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. We are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" (NLT)
How difficult it is for us to be reconciled to others with whom we have had issues in our past. According to Encarta, to reconcile means to bring two or more people back into communications with each other after a dispute or estrangement and return them to a friendly relationship.
We know we need to forgive others for any past wrongs and ask them for forgiveness from ours. That is not reconciliation; that is forgiveness. We cannot have reconciliation without forgiveness occurring first.
Now that we are believers, God has given us the task of reconciling people to Him. Sure, you say, that all sounds good, but I am not God. How can I speak for Him? We have to. As Christ's ambassadors, we have the right and the authority to speak on God's behalf. He makes His appeal to them through us.
How can they be reconciled if they never believed, you say. They knew God before they were born. They still had communications with Him when they were in the womb and after they were born. Life on this earth in our human form takes us away from God. We need to come back to Him. And we are the vessel God uses to tell others about Him. We have been given the task of reconciling others to Him.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Monday, March 08, 2010
Human Point of View
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
We have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT)
I remember back when I was out of school and first married. We used to think about that far off age of 50 and the possibilities of being retired by then. It was such a long way off, we thought. Well 50 has come and gone for me. And retirement did not come at 50. We are older now and our children's children have been having children!
As humans it is not easy to see others from another point of view. For many, even at my age, it is difficult to look at our children as equals, as adult humans. They are our children and we helped them grow up. But now they are grown up and are equals with us in life. They have made their share of mistakes just as we have. But, they are their issues and not ours to worry about. They will get to the other side of issues in life as we have with Christ by our side.
As each of us became believers, we were born again, new persons in Christ. The hard thing to grasp is that we are new even though in these old mortal bodies. Our spirits are alive and communicating with our Father God.
God even sent the Holy Spirit to live inside us to comfort and guide us into Truth. We have the right to a relationship with Jesus Christ. All we have to do is start the communication process. He is ready.
As we look at our fellow believers in the Body of Christ, we need to look past the mortal view and the knowledge we have of them before they met Jesus. We need to see them as our Father God sees them for the old life is gone and a new life has begun.
We have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT)
I remember back when I was out of school and first married. We used to think about that far off age of 50 and the possibilities of being retired by then. It was such a long way off, we thought. Well 50 has come and gone for me. And retirement did not come at 50. We are older now and our children's children have been having children!
As humans it is not easy to see others from another point of view. For many, even at my age, it is difficult to look at our children as equals, as adult humans. They are our children and we helped them grow up. But now they are grown up and are equals with us in life. They have made their share of mistakes just as we have. But, they are their issues and not ours to worry about. They will get to the other side of issues in life as we have with Christ by our side.
As each of us became believers, we were born again, new persons in Christ. The hard thing to grasp is that we are new even though in these old mortal bodies. Our spirits are alive and communicating with our Father God.
God even sent the Holy Spirit to live inside us to comfort and guide us into Truth. We have the right to a relationship with Jesus Christ. All we have to do is start the communication process. He is ready.
As we look at our fellow believers in the Body of Christ, we need to look past the mortal view and the knowledge we have of them before they met Jesus. We need to see them as our Father God sees them for the old life is gone and a new life has begun.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Judgment
2 Corinthians 5:9-10
So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. (NLT)
We are each judged all through our school years; judged on how we do on the tests we are given. Even playing sports, we are judged by our coach based on his experience. He decides if we make the team or not. Then he decides our participation in the games.
When we go for a job interview we are judged first off by how we appear. Our chances of getting the interview or not could be decided on what we chose to ware. Come to an office job interview with shorts and a T-shirt wearing a baseball cap could get us back on the street before we get to see anyone about the job.
The opposite can occur as well. If we are looking for a job in construction, we do not want to show up in a suit and tie as if we were going to church on Sunday. They want someone ready to work on the job site, not in the office.
In either case, if we know the right person and they vouch for us, the judgment could go the other way. Who you know does count.
At the other end of life, when our days on earth are over and we cross over to the other side, who we know counts as well.
Christ will greet us and either hug us like the friend we have been in relationship with or he will wonder who we are. The interview will not go well if He does not know us for then we will be judged on all the evil we have done.
So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. (NLT)
We are each judged all through our school years; judged on how we do on the tests we are given. Even playing sports, we are judged by our coach based on his experience. He decides if we make the team or not. Then he decides our participation in the games.
When we go for a job interview we are judged first off by how we appear. Our chances of getting the interview or not could be decided on what we chose to ware. Come to an office job interview with shorts and a T-shirt wearing a baseball cap could get us back on the street before we get to see anyone about the job.
The opposite can occur as well. If we are looking for a job in construction, we do not want to show up in a suit and tie as if we were going to church on Sunday. They want someone ready to work on the job site, not in the office.
In either case, if we know the right person and they vouch for us, the judgment could go the other way. Who you know does count.
At the other end of life, when our days on earth are over and we cross over to the other side, who we know counts as well.
Christ will greet us and either hug us like the friend we have been in relationship with or he will wonder who we are. The interview will not go well if He does not know us for then we will be judged on all the evil we have done.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Live by Believing
2 Corinthians 5:7
For we live by believing and not by seeing. (NLT)
Most of us have probably said "I will believe it when I see it!" As Jesus has shown us in the gospels, many did come to believe in Him because of the miracles He did. Others believed because of what they had heard about him. Few just believed.
I came to know Him because my family new Him. They believed so I did. I was too young to question it. God was in my life and He was always there for me. Over the years I have learned a couple of things.
The first is that knowing without seeing that God is real is not the same as having a personal relationship with Him. It is through that relationship that we grow closer to God and partake in the promises He has given us.
The second is that most people grew up without a family belief in God. They have grown up with a "show me" mentality. They must have something proven before the can decide to believe. Perhaps they are similar to those Jesus encountered. They believed because they saw.
No matter how we come to believe, the important thing is that we do believe. And once we have gotten over the initial hurdle of belief, God does not have to prove Himself. Our belief opens a door to living by faith, by believing and not by seeing.
For we live by believing and not by seeing. (NLT)
Most of us have probably said "I will believe it when I see it!" As Jesus has shown us in the gospels, many did come to believe in Him because of the miracles He did. Others believed because of what they had heard about him. Few just believed.
I came to know Him because my family new Him. They believed so I did. I was too young to question it. God was in my life and He was always there for me. Over the years I have learned a couple of things.
The first is that knowing without seeing that God is real is not the same as having a personal relationship with Him. It is through that relationship that we grow closer to God and partake in the promises He has given us.
The second is that most people grew up without a family belief in God. They have grown up with a "show me" mentality. They must have something proven before the can decide to believe. Perhaps they are similar to those Jesus encountered. They believed because they saw.
No matter how we come to believe, the important thing is that we do believe. And once we have gotten over the initial hurdle of belief, God does not have to prove Himself. Our belief opens a door to living by faith, by believing and not by seeing.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
The Guarantee
2 Corinthians 5:4-5
While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. (NLT)
I am reminded of getting prepared for a marriage. This is one of the biggest events in a couple's life together. The man asks the women for her hand in marriage. When she says yes, he places an engagement ring on her hand guaranteeing his commitment to her.
Months of work precedes the actual wedding day. The venue has to be decided upon and the date must coincide with availability.
The musicians must be contracted for as well as the videographer. The couple goes through a series of counseling sessions with the minister to insure they know what they are getting into with each other and to confirm their relationship with the Lord. All this happens to get to a short ceremony where they are pronounced husband and wife.
As believers we are also preparing for a marriage. We are the brides to be and Jesus is the groom. Like out earthly marriage, the first step is saying yes to the marriage proposal. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and decided to follow Him, we said yes.
Better than a five carat diamond ring, He sends the Holy Spirit to live in us as His guarantee that we will be His bride when we pass over from this earthly realm to eternity.
While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. (NLT)
I am reminded of getting prepared for a marriage. This is one of the biggest events in a couple's life together. The man asks the women for her hand in marriage. When she says yes, he places an engagement ring on her hand guaranteeing his commitment to her.
Months of work precedes the actual wedding day. The venue has to be decided upon and the date must coincide with availability.
The musicians must be contracted for as well as the videographer. The couple goes through a series of counseling sessions with the minister to insure they know what they are getting into with each other and to confirm their relationship with the Lord. All this happens to get to a short ceremony where they are pronounced husband and wife.
As believers we are also preparing for a marriage. We are the brides to be and Jesus is the groom. Like out earthly marriage, the first step is saying yes to the marriage proposal. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and decided to follow Him, we said yes.
Better than a five carat diamond ring, He sends the Holy Spirit to live in us as His guarantee that we will be His bride when we pass over from this earthly realm to eternity.
Looking Ahead
2 Corinthians 4:18
So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (NLT)
How difficult it is to not see the elephant in the room! When problems are in our life it is hard to look past them. And so we get so entangled in them we have time for nothing else. We constantly think about the issues and how we can solve them.
It is not just the troubles that take our gaze away. What about that new flat screen television? When you first installed it, I bet you had to sit in front of it every evening to enjoy it. Everyone was so big and the picture so sharp you just had to enjoy every minute you could.
Next you upgraded to a Blue Ray DVD player and surround sound. WOW! Bring on the new movies. It is almost like being in the movie theater. Once again we fix our gaze on what we can see.
Now that we have the new large screen set, we can get a WII with tennis, golf, exercise programs, car racing and lots of other cool stuff. We do not have to leave the living room to see movies or play golf or be in a super fast car race. We are wrapped up in what we can see and touch.
Our troubles are temporary and are things are just that. When we pass over to the other side we leave all our troubles and all our things. They are temporal, but the things we cannot see will last forever. We need to start looking ahead and fix our gaze on what we cannot see.
So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (NLT)
How difficult it is to not see the elephant in the room! When problems are in our life it is hard to look past them. And so we get so entangled in them we have time for nothing else. We constantly think about the issues and how we can solve them.
It is not just the troubles that take our gaze away. What about that new flat screen television? When you first installed it, I bet you had to sit in front of it every evening to enjoy it. Everyone was so big and the picture so sharp you just had to enjoy every minute you could.
Next you upgraded to a Blue Ray DVD player and surround sound. WOW! Bring on the new movies. It is almost like being in the movie theater. Once again we fix our gaze on what we can see.
Now that we have the new large screen set, we can get a WII with tennis, golf, exercise programs, car racing and lots of other cool stuff. We do not have to leave the living room to see movies or play golf or be in a super fast car race. We are wrapped up in what we can see and touch.
Our troubles are temporary and are things are just that. When we pass over to the other side we leave all our troubles and all our things. They are temporal, but the things we cannot see will last forever. We need to start looking ahead and fix our gaze on what we cannot see.
Monday, March 01, 2010
Never Give Up
2 Corinthians 4:16
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. (NLT)
I am reminded of Winston Churchill's famous World War II speech where he said: "Never, never, never, never give up." Giving up is the easiest way out of most situations. Woman give up today by having abortions. Husbands and wives give up by getting divorced. School children give up by settling for the average grade. People who overeat give up by giving in to their addiction.
I am retired now, meaning I am collecting on the over fifty years of paying into the social security system. I am still doing the Lord's work and never intend to stop that. But as the years go on I have to admit I am not as agile as I was forty years ago-not even twenty years ago. I thank God every day for my healthy body and mind.
However, the condition of our mortal body has nothing to do with our reaching out to the lost. It has nothing to do with our God given talents. It has nothing to do with the fruits of the Spirit evident in our everyday living. Out spirits are being renewed every day.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. (NLT)
I am reminded of Winston Churchill's famous World War II speech where he said: "Never, never, never, never give up." Giving up is the easiest way out of most situations. Woman give up today by having abortions. Husbands and wives give up by getting divorced. School children give up by settling for the average grade. People who overeat give up by giving in to their addiction.
I am retired now, meaning I am collecting on the over fifty years of paying into the social security system. I am still doing the Lord's work and never intend to stop that. But as the years go on I have to admit I am not as agile as I was forty years ago-not even twenty years ago. I thank God every day for my healthy body and mind.
However, the condition of our mortal body has nothing to do with our reaching out to the lost. It has nothing to do with our God given talents. It has nothing to do with the fruits of the Spirit evident in our everyday living. Out spirits are being renewed every day.
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