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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD
Encountering an extraordinary God in ordinary life
Issue #302 October 25, 2001 Reconciliation and Forgiveness
The world can be a hard place. It’s full of people and those people hurt us, or we hurt them. Even Christians can hurt one another.
When we’ve been hurt, our reaction is usually to withdraw from the source of the hurt or to lash back in anger or defensiveness. Then the resentment builds, walls are erected and we hold bitterness in our hearts, which can impact every area of our lives.
Holding onto that bitterness can sour our relationship with others. It can fester and transform a small hurt into a gaping wound and destroy the relationship with the person who hurt us.
Instead of holding onto that bitterness, we’re called as believers to reconcile:
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NIV
We are to take steps to reconcile. We can’t be responsible for the way the other party reacts to our attempts at reconciliation, but we must do our part.
There are times where we have been hurt, and for one reason or another reconciliation is not possible or wise. The person who hurt us may have died, we may have lost touch over the years or perhaps it is just too dangerous to be near the one who hurt us. We’re still called to forgive them, and that forgiveness is a vital part of reconciliation.
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us Luke 11:4a NIV
It may be impossible under our own strength, but if we confess our unforgiving hearts to God and ask for His help, He will intervene.
Spend a few moments today and ask God, "Who do I need to be reconciled to, or forgive?" Once you have the answer, take the step (and you thought this Christian stuff was going to be easy).
Until next time, may you rebuild burnt bridges and be an ambassador of reconciliation and forgiveness in the name of Jesus.
God bless.
Kevin
Feeling distant from God? You can be forgiven of your sin and reconciled with your creator simply by asking. Email me and I’ll share a few Bible verses that explain why a reconciled relationship with Him is important and a prayer that will make it possible.
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© 2001 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin
All Rights Reserved
To share your thoughts on this issue of Gleanings, or to share prayer concerns email us at corbin_writer@hotmail.com. At Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential.
If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page on our website http://gleanings.jesusanswers.com
© 2001 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin
All Rights Reserved