Be Reconciled to God

A good soldier carries out every valid order he is given.

Text for Today – 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – . . . Be ye reconciled to God . . .

Here, dear reader, is a command of the Lord.  It is not a suggestion, nor is it just a good idea.  It is a command.  Many years ago, I heard a great man of God, Brother Kenneth Copeland define a command from God as “an order from God about which there is no choice, and from which there is no turning.”  That definition has served me well for what is now more than fifty years of ministry.

But how can one be reconciled to a God Who is so holy, pure, just, and righteous?  Well, if you’re thinking it’s not easy, you’re correct.  The work is eternal, the price beyond measure, and the power required causes the largest nuclear blast to pale into insignificance.  Mankind is utterly helpless and hopeless, at least, on his own.

Once again, you’re correct.  It’s NOT easy, but God did it anyway.  And all the hard work that God did made it easy for us.  Thank God!  Romans 10:6-10 really tells us the “how to” of salvation, of being reconciled to God.  Read closely our Text for Today from 2 Corinthians.  You’ll see that God has already reconciled the world to Himself, and has committed to us, the church, the body of Christ, the ministry and message of reconciliation.  And once again, the “how to” of that salvation message is clearly stated in Romans 10.

But whatever you do, don’t diminish the work of salvation by what may have come to be the traditional thinking of many.  To many Christians, salvation simply means being born again.  Praise God for the new birth, for it is indeed the initial element of salvation.  But salvation in its fullest includes the renewing of the mind, the healing of the body, deliverance from temporal evil, and the provision of all need.  It is an all-inclusive work that brings reconciliation, or peace with God.  When we grasp the fact that peace with God in its fullest sense means “nothing missing; nothing  broken,” reconciliation takes on a whole new meaning for us.

I urge you today to receive the full benefit of the Lord’s work in reconciling the world to Himself.  As a believer, you’ve already stepped into the process.  Just don’t stop short of receiving all He has provided for you in it.  Be ye reconciled to God.  That’s an order, Soldier of the Cross.  Now snap to, and obey God’s command.

Manna for Today – 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 32:17