Bible Passage: “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. 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.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:22-24; Isaiah 59:1-2; Luke 15:11-32
When Jesus told the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), He painted a rather stunning picture of who God is.
Rather than an unemotional and impartial judge who treated his sinful son as he rightly deserved, the father of the story (a picture of God) emotionally and without hesitation invited his wayward son back into the family, even though the son had done nothing but shamefully reject his dad and choose a sinful path.
It has been our human lot since the beginning: we choose sin, and that sin separates us from our holy God (Isaiah 59:1-2).
When Adam and Eve first rebelled against the LORD and chose their own way, one of the consequences was that we could no longer be face to face with God; our sinfulness was in stark contrast to His Holiness, and the way into His presence was barred until such a time as God would reopen the way again through Christ (Genesis 3:22-24).
But that is the beautiful truth that today’s main passage unpacks: we were once separated from God by our sin, cut off from His presence, and removed from His family. Like the Prodigal Son, we brought it on ourselves.
Yet even though we deserved the separation, God was unwilling to leave us so separated.
Through the Cross and resurrection, God has reconciled us back to Himself; we have been made right with God by an act of God. We are welcomed back to His table, and, like the son in the parable, we are restored to sonship and our place in His family yet again (Ephesians 1:4-6).
This doesn’t only mean that we are positionally part of His family; it means that we can boldly approach Him, coming into His presence, and experiencing Him by His Spirit while we wait for the face-to-face fullness of our reunion with Him to come one day (Hebrews 4:16; Romans 8:23).
Since we have been saved from our separation from God, today’s passage also tells us that we have a duty to proclaim this message of reconciliation to the world. Many people are still separated from God; we must be men who share the Good News that, because of Jesus, that separation can be eliminated, and all are invited to become a part of God’s family.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for all You did to bring me back home to You! I am honored to be invited to Your table. Give me the boldness to proclaim Your message of reconciliation to others today. Amen.
Reflection: Who around you needs to hear today that God is welcoming them into His family through Jesus? What’s a step you can take towards that person today?
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