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#DailyDevotion Be Reconciled To God, Now, Right Now, Today!

#DailyDevotion Be Reconciled To God, Now, Right Now, Today!

2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10 20b We ask you for Christ, “Be reunited with God.” 21God made Him Who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we would have the righteousness of God. 6 As men who are working with God we plead with you: Don’t let God’s grace be wasted on you. 2He says: At a favorable time I have heard you; On the day of salvation I have helped you. Look, now is the favorable time. Look, now is the day of salvation.

Kind of a strange place for this lectionary reading to begin. I think I would have started with, 19“In Christ God restored the relationship of the world to Himself by not counting their sins against them,…” Before we do anything God must take the first step. In verse nineteen we see the Father takes the first step in restoring the relationship we have with him in Christ. He restores us to himself by not counting our sins against us.

On this basis then Paul says, “Be reunited with God.” I’m thinking the translation “be reconciled” is probably better here. Most often this is interpreted as meaning our part in reconciliation is accepting and believing what God has done for on his part in Christ Jesus. I think for some of us that is a start. It opens the door for something else on our part. You see, a lot of people are angry, upset and disappointed at God. There’s been illness, disease, death, loss of loved ones. People have experienced horrific things in their lives. If God is Almighty why did he let this stuff happen or worse why did he send it upon us? Grant it, who are we to talk back to our make and question what he has allowed or done? Yet, we still have these resentments against God. People don’t change, much. I’m certain the people in Paul’s day often had these thoughts and feelings. So based on God the Father being reconciled to us and no longer counting our sins against us in Christ Jesus, we too should take our resentments towards God and place them on Christ Jesus on the Christ and be reconciled to God.

Paul then wraps this thought up with “God made Him Who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we would have the righteousness of God.” What great mystery and wonder is this grace! Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us. Some interpret this as being short hand for sin offering. Well Jesus is most certainly that at well. Yet even more, all our sin, the sin of the world is placed on Christ at his baptism and on the cross. What else can Christ be but sin on the cross. O great mystery! He does this so we become the righteousness of God. Our righteousness is but filthy rags but in Christ our righteousness becomes God’s righteousness. We are made and identified with God’s righteousness.

So Paul begs us to not let God’s grace be wasted on us. Now is the favorable time. Now is the day of salvation. As Joel cried out, “Right now turn to God.” The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 95, 7“Today, hear if you will, His voice: 8Don’t get stubborn as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness…” If you have been putting off being reconciled to God don’t wait any longer. You don’t have any more time than Now, Right now, Today to do it. If you pass this world without trusting God has reconciled himself to you in Christ Jesus and letting go of everything you have against God for the sake of Jesus, then God’s grace will most certainly have been wasted on you. Don’t let that happen.

Heavenly Father, even as you have reconciled us to yourself in Christ Jesus on the cross, may we have faith in this reconciliation to reconcile ourselves to you so we may become your righteousness now and on the day of Christ’s revelation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

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