Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 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.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, NKJV).
A lot of Christians feel uncomfortable sharing their faith. I get it, I really do. You see, I’ve struggled with that myself.
It’s not that I’ve been ashamed of being a Christian, as I am indeed openly Christian. (These devotionals aren’t written using a pen name!) But in spite of my openness regarding being a Christian, I haven’t always done a great job of sharing my faith with those who don’t yet know Christ. I also haven’t always done a great job of helping those who do know Christ be in right relationship with Him.
But the Scripture passage above makes it clear that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Reconciliation with God is not enough. That is, indeed, an excellent and even necessary starting place. But if we stop there, we fall short of what God has called us to do.
Instead of keeping our relationship with Jesus private, why not have a “pay it forward” attitude? When you pay it forward, you consider your blessings, and then bless others in a similar way. In our culture, that could mean paying for coffee for the person behind you in the drive-through. We get all warm and fuzzy when we do something like that, as we should. It simply feels good to do something good for someone else, and paying it forward indeed makes the world a better place.
But as wonderful as it is to pay for a stranger’s coffee, it doesn’t compare to paying forward reconciliation with Christ. Coffee will warm someone’s life for a moment, maybe even a day or two. But being reconciled with God will warm someone for eternity.
In a practical sense, the best way to go about this is to live out the gospel. Share the truth of what Christ has done for you with others. Help them to see His goodness, love, and grace. Walk alongside others, as you introduce them to the Savior for the first time, or as you help people who already know Him to come back into fellowship with Him.
Praying the Word
Jesus, thank You for reconciling me with You. Thank You for asking me to participate in the ministry of reconciliation. Give me a passion to help others reconcile with You, and give me the wisdom to know how to go about it.
Applying the Word
Think of one person who currently isn’t in right relationship with Jesus. Take one action that will help move them closer to Him. It could be as simple as doing a small act of kindness, or as scary as confronting a believer with her sin. If you sense God is calling you to move forward in a confrontational manner, be sure to do so prayerfully, with a spirit of love and gentleness.
