Reconciled – May 17, 2023

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.
1 Peter 3:18

Reconciled

Have you ever experienced a broken or damaged relationship? Perhaps it was with a spouse or a significant other. Maybe it was with a sibling or a parent or a child. Whatever the case, it all started with some hurtful words or actions. As a result, things are now cold and distant. Feelings are hurt. Resentment is evident. Their guard is up. The distance between you feels like there might as well be a canyon separating one from the other.

This is a good way to illustrate our relationship with God. Imagine, for a moment, what sin has done to your relationship with God. Imagine the impact on that relationship when we lie to others…when we fill our hearts with greed or lust…when we curse at the people God has placed in our lives…when we act in unloving ways with our coworkers. With each sin we commit, the divide between God and us gets wider and deeper. Because of our sin, the divide between God and us might as well be the Grand Canyon. It goes without saying, there is no way for us to bridge that gap. There is nothing we can do to eliminate that divide.

Thankfully God did it for us. God sent Jesus, who gave his life on the cross, in order to bring us back to God. Jesus saw how far our sins had driven us away from God and knew we did not have it in us to fix the situation. So he sacrificed himself to pay for sin. In Jesus, our sins are forgiven and removed; now, there is no divide! Jesus has brought us back to God, and we have a relationship with him. He calls us his own, watches over us, and blesses us each and every day. We are reconciled to God!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for eliminating the divide between us and the Father. Thank you for giving yourself on the cross to bring us back to God. Help us live as your people today. Amen.