Reconciled

“Reconciled, I’m reconciled, I’m reconciled to God for ever; I know He took away my sin, I know His love will leave me never. Reconciled, I am His child, I know it was on me He smiled; I’m reconciled, I’m reconciled to God.” This is a verse from the Hymn “Reconciled, I’m Reconciled” by Mike Kerry. We used to sing it in high school and it still lives rent free in my mind and I am so glad it does, because what wonderful truth it is!

We have spent the last 16 weeks *insert gasp* talking about the cross of Jesus and what it did for us. I never know where God is going with a series, I find out along the way just like you. What I think will be a four week series ends up being a one week post and what I think is a one or two week post ends up being 16 weeks, lol. Now that we have talked about different aspects of the cross, and trust me there is more, I felt God wanted us to talk about Him as a Father.

The cross was reconciliation. Reconciliation can be a tricky word to understand. In accounting terms, it means making sure the numbers all add up to what they are supposed to be, put simply. For example matching all your receipts and expenses to your bank statements. Relationally, we sometimes use the word, for example, where a couple was separated or divorced and they get back together again and people say they have reconciled. That’s a simple analogy for the coming together of two who were once separated by disagreement or otherwise back into agreement. It is an effort by two parties to move past the wrong of the past and come back into relationship again.

Why is it important that we understand reconciliation? Because we were not only forgiven by God, but we have been reconciled to Him. We have been brought back into relationship with God. Many people believe they have been forgiven but do not quite embrace the truth that they have been reconciled to God. They live like they are estranged from their heavenly Father. They are forgiven, but He is all the way over there on His throne all the way in heaven and they are all the way here on earth so far from Him. You are not only forgiven, the cross made sure that more than forgiveness, you were reconciled to right relationship God. Where sin once separated us, Christ came and in Him we have been reconciled to God.

How crazy is that? If there was ever someone with a reason not to reconcile with anyone it would be God with us, because we are crazy and we do crazy things and when He came to us, we killed Him. Yes, I said “we”. It’s easy to point fingers and shake our fists at the Pharisees for killing Jesus but are you sure that if you had been born at that time and Jesus came you would have believed Him? Or would you have been the loudest voice shouting “Crucify Him!” We can be so high and mighty sometimes, with the benefit of hindsight the choice seams simple. But in real time, we could have been just as blind. So, we killed Jesus. Yet not only did God choose to forgive us, He also wants to be reconciled to us, what?!

Alright, in case you are not sold on killing Jesus, Matthew 24:42-45 says, “For when you saw Me hungry, you gave Me no food, and when you saw Me thirsty, you gave Me no drink. I had no place to stay, and you refused to take Me in as your guest. When you saw Me poorly clothed, you closed your hearts and did not clothe Me. When you saw that I was sick, you didn’t lift a finger to help Me, and when I was imprisoned, you never came to visit Me.’ “And then those on His left will say, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty and not give You food and something to drink? When did we see You homeless, or poorly clothed? When did we see You sick and not help You, or in prison and not visit You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘Don’t you know? When you refused to help one of the least important among these My little ones, My true brothers and sisters, you refused to help and honor Me.”

So we have all hurt Jesus one way or another yet God did not stop at just forgiveness, He reconciled us to Himself. He wants relationship with you and me. He wants us to know Him, not just as a Saviour but as a Father.

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.