At this time of year, we may be longing to reconcile ourselves to an estranged relative. It is a time for reconciliation for many. But how do you go about reconciliation? Are you reconciled with Almighty God, the God who created you?
Reconciliation is no easy feat for us when it comes to one person being reconciled to another. It requires both parties to be willing. One must be willing to ask for forgiveness. The other must be willing to forgive. Or both parties must be willing to compromise.
Reconciliation works the same way with God, with one distinct difference—God is willing to forgive. We do not need to convince God to forgive us. There is no need to lay your reasoning or excuses before God. He knows every reason and excuse for why we have sinned in the past—even if the past is just one moment ago.
Jesus came to provide the perfect pathway to reconciliation with God. His sacrifice set God’s forgiveness in motion for all. The requirement for one party to be willing to forgive has been completed. There merely remains a willingness for us to ask for forgiveness.
Asking for forgiveness may sound simple. Yet, it can be more difficult for some. Our pride gets in the way. We may not be educated well enough in God’s Word to recognize our sin. We must be willing to admit we have done wrong and must know God’s Word well enough to know we have done wrong. Quite honestly, it is a life-long pursuit. As we learn and grow in experience in this life, we see our sin in a more mature and deeper way. We see just how much we need to be reconciled to God and how lost we would be without Jesus Christ.
I pray we all long to be reconciled to God. I pray we know that God is willing to forgive us. I pray each one of us ask for forgiveness and grow in our knowledge of God’s Word. Seek reconciliation. Ask for forgiveness. Be willing to forgive. Know God’s Word. Admit when you are wrong. Be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 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 people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Marty Pressey 