Day 12 Reconciliation

Day 12

Reconciliation

“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.”  (Matthew 5:23-26)

Ministry of Reconciliation is the 4^th pillar

Reconciliation is the fourth pillar that holds the temple of Truth!

Reconciliation means to reestablish a fractured relationship, to make things right with others, regardless of who is at fault.

The ministry of reconciliation started with God our Father Himself.  He did not wait for us to be righteous or for us to come to Him, even though we are the ones at fault.  No! Not the LORD, whose nature is love, peace and righteousness.

God left His glory in heaven, came down to earth, down to us, to reconcile us to Himself.  Now pause for a moment and think: we humans believe that  we belong at the top; we climb the ladder no matter what.  But God left the highest point of the universe, a place no man, angel, or any creature has ever been, the throne that rules the universe.  He left all the glory, power, majesty, splendor, attention, worship, and praise from holy creatures.  (Not from me and you, pieces of flesh, full of ourselves, all puffed up like we are something, when indeed we are nothing but dust).

But Christ made Himself of no reputation, came down to this sinful world, in the form of a man, a little lower than the angels:

 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
      God was manifested in the flesh,
      Justified in the Spirit,
      Seen by angels,

      Preached among the Gentiles,
      Believed on in the world,
      Received up in glory.”   (1 Timothy 3:16)

“But one testified in a certain place, saying:

“What is man that You are mindful of him,
      Or the son of man that You take care of him?
        You have made him a little lower than the angels;
      You have crowned him with glory and honor,
       And set him over the works of Your hands.
        You have put all things in subjection under his feet…”

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”  (Hebrews 2:6-9)

Why did God humble Himself in such a way?

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”  (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

God has provided an example that regardless of position, regardless of who is right and who is wrong, who did what to whom, and who said what, we are to follow His example and humble ourselves.  To be honest, God is not interested in all our excuses, for He knows we are puffed up people and that, going down and lowering ourselves seems beneath us.  But the truth is that God doesn’t really care whose fault it is.  What God wants is for LOVE and PEACE to reign in His Kingdom, even as He demonstrated His love toward us in Christ:

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)

Let us therefore make peace with all, reestablishing all fractured relationships, forgiving one another, bearing with one another, tolerating one another so that God may also forgive us and be pleased with us.

For if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. Though we make many prayers, though we sing our lungs out, though we pay our tithes and offerings, though we feed the poor, though we clothe the naked, though we preach the gospel eloquently, though we heal the sick and visit the prisoners, we do all this in vain.  For God will not accept us if there is hate in our hearts toward our brethren!  It doesn’t really matter whether they are Christian or not, nor who is wrong and who is right.  You, who are children of God, be children of your Father.  Go, therefore, and make peace with everyone, and if your offer of peace is not accepted, leave it in the hands of God who judges righteously.  The Lord will be well pleased with you! Otherwise everything else you do is in vain.  Let us  be called the sons and daughters of God and be blessed because we are the peacemakers:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Let us be the peacemakers, even as those who came before us,

like Esau who forgave Jacob after he stole his birthright and his blessings:

“Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.  But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.”  (Genesis 33:3-4)

Like Joseph, who forgave his brothers even after they sold him into slavery in Egypt:

“Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.”  (Genesis 45:15)

And like Job, who prayed for his friends after they wrongfully accused him of evil and spoke all kinds of evil against him:

“And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”  (Job 42:10)

Let us, therefore, be like Christ and those who came before us--like Esau, Joseph, and Job and many more--who chose to forget the past.  Rejoice that you still have a brother or a sister, father, mother, spouse, friends, or colleagues.  Be glad that you still have them.  For I tell you the truth: far better people than you, desire to have what you are despising.  So appreciate what you have, appreciate the people in your life and be content. Look forward to a future together by the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen!

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”  (Mark 11:25-26)

And again:

“And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”  (Luke 17:4)

Finally my dear beloved:

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”  (Ephesians 4:32)

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”  (Colossians 3:12-13)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.  Amen!

Meditation:  I have peace with God by having peace with others!  I am forgiven by God when I forgive others.

Prayer points:  LORD Jesus, please give me a forgiving heart.  Please help me to forgive those who hurt me in the past, present, and future, and by Your grace, please help me to pursue peace with everyone, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen!

Commitment:  I commit myself, by Your grace oh Lord Jesus, to forgive all those who hurt me in the past, and those who are hurting me now, and those who will hurt me in the future.  Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, unto the glory of God the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen!