Reconciled to God and others

M of us use the word reconciled in our vocabularies to discuss a marriage relationship that was broken and is now put back together. We say, “They have reconciled.” Every earthly relationship goes through periods of distance or separation. It might not be a physical separation, but it still feels like there is a distance that has occurred. To be reconciled is to do what it takes to close that gap and grow close again. 

We know we were given the presence of God’s Holy Spirit when we became a Christian. The Holy Spirit is the proof that Christ has closed the gap and we have been reconciled to God. But, as long as we live on this side of heaven’s glory, we remain in “a gap.”  

It’s a good picture of what Paul was saying in 2 Corinthians 5 when he wrote, “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight” (vv. 6–7). 

Let’s take Paul’s words to heart for just a moment. 

Our source of courage

Have you ever noticed it seems easier to handle a busy schedule when you know a vacation is coming?

Jim and I had an early mentor in our ministry. He told Jim that he and his wife always planned their next vacation while coming home from their current trip. He said it had been a key to their happiness, even when ministry was ramped up at top speed. It is easier to navigate the gap of an over-busy life when you know the separation from each other is for only a time.  

Paul said “we are always of good courage.” There is never a time we can’t look forward to our eternal lives. Right now, we are “away from the Lord,” but one day we will stand with him, in his presence.

It’s good to envision that permanent vacation every now and then. Has it been a while since you allowed your faith to carry you to those visions of heaven? Like the song says, “We can only imagine what it will be like, when we walk by his side.” 

When it seems like there is a gap between you and God, take a “trip with faith” and walk with Jesus on those streets in heaven. Take courage knowing that one day all we have faithfully imagined will be a physical, even more amazing reality. 

We are, right now, reconciled to God through our faith in Christ, and the relationship we have through faith will one day be a relationship experienced in his presence. 

Our reconciliation

We once celebrated a seventy-year anniversary with a couple in our church. Someone at the party asked them how they had been able to stay happily married all those years. He said, “Well, we are still working on that.” That was such a perfect answer! 

Those two people had one of the finest relationships I have ever seen. They never stopped “working on it.” They had their rough spots and had sometimes grown apart. But, they were married forever so they chose to work their way back to a better relationship with each other. The same is true in our relationship with God. 

Paul wrote the church in Corinth, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:20–21).  

Christ made a permanent relationship with God possible. Christians are his adopted children and always will be. Every family relationship needs work so we can remain “reconciled” to one another. Our kids are always loved, but it takes effort to keep the relationships close. 

Our Righteousness

In Christ we “become the righteousness of God.” Maybe those words have become so familiar that we have forgotten they are “familial.” When you and I enter a room, we enter as one who is part of God’s family. We are called to represent our Lord and bear his name. That’s why Paul called us “Christ’s ambassadors.” 

We are to manifest the rightness of God in our relationships with others. Our righteousness is the rightness of God, displayed through our lives. THAT seems like a high, holy, and wholly impossible calling! Our calling is all of those things, this side of heaven. That’s why we need to be reconciled to God. 

When we get it right, it’s because we allow God to use our lives to make us right. The only righteousness in our lives is the righteousness of God. Thankfully, when we need to represent God in a room, he is willing, able, and would prefer to do the talking. He will need us to get our own sense of self out of the way. 

One day, in heaven, we will live like righteous, holy children of God in every moment. Now, we live in that gap. When we have a reconciled life to God through faith, we have become the righteousness of God. Perfect faith isn’t possible this side of heaven, but it is nevertheless to be our constant goal. 

Our reconciled relationship

I know that every Christian who reads these words will be fully reconciled to God’s presence eternally. That said, if our lives aren’t bearing witness to the “righteousness of God,” we need to work on our relationship with God.  

How do we strengthen our family ties? 

  • Take a vacation from the world, from media and technology, in order to spend time with God. Take courage through faith that one day you will spend all your time present with him in heaven.
  • Ask God if there is anything separating your heart from his. Our sins separate and widen the gap. Confess those things and ask God to help you draw as near as possible. We are his children and we need to work on that relationship. Imagine how much he looks forward to that time together.
  • Finally, live aware of the fact that you are the righteousness of God every time he speaks or ministers through you. Is there any other agenda that seems more important as you enter a room? Focus your thoughts on God. His words, his thoughts, and his presence will soon follow.

Reconciliation is the business of God

In case any of these words seem like too much to handle, remember that it isn’t our abilities that bring about reconciliation. God is the giver of reconciliation. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16).  

Everything you need is given by the Creator of all things. Reconciliation with God is certain because it is always his will. Reconciliation with another person requires two wills, neither of which is perfect. Hopefully, both will turn to the perfection of God and be reconciled. Either way, God judges our hearts. We can be right with him, even when we can’t be right with another.  

We can do our part to be reconciled to God so that we can be his ambassadors and his righteousness in the world. What a holy privilege we have been given! I hope the Lord has brought someone to your mind as you read these words today. Let’s take time to pray for ourselves and others. 

Blessings to all of you “reconciled ambassadors.” It will be fun to hang out on our eternal vacation someday!

The Parable of the Dog and the Geese

It rained all day, but that was fine with me. 

Rainy days are perfect days to spend writing, and I had this year’s Advent book to work on. 

By the way, my thanks to all of you who sent me your Christmas memories and traditions. I’m enjoying them and the process of putting the book together! 

Now, the rainy-day story:

A boy and his dog 

I was busily writing that stormy day when something caught my eye outside the window. 

The rain had slowed to a soft drizzle, and a boy was draped in a pink-and-white beach towel, walking down the road. 

I was curious and needed to stretch my legs anyway, so I got up to take a look. 

Obviously, he had drawn the short straw because he was out in the rain, on the other end of a dog leash, waiting for the family pet to . . . well you know. 

At that moment, the drizzle turned back into a full-blown shower. The boy and the dog went from damp to drenched in 3.8 seconds. 

At one point, I saw the boy bend down and say something to the dog. The dog just looked up at him. 

Apparently, the dog’s “schedule” wasn’t in sync with the boy’s, or, for that matter, the rain’s. The look on the dog’s face made me laugh. 

I guess some things just can’t be rushed, even in bad weather. 

Floating nearby 

Meanwhile, a hundred yards away, eight wild geese were happily floating on the pond. They didn’t care if it was raining; they were just happy to paddle around. 

There were plenty of other geese to keep them company, and they were all free to come and go as they pleased. In fact, I think they were enjoying the boy and his dog’s show as much as I was. Several were looking in that direction. 

That’s the moment I thought, I am going to write a blog post about this. 

Two perspectives on similar circumstances 

The news is filled these days with a lot of noisy, frustrated people from any and all sides of the quarantine. 

Some want to work; others are afraid to return to work. Some think everyone should wear a mask while others shout about personal freedoms. Some think the government should send more money and others think the government should let them make some money. Some don’t think there is any reason to stay home and others think home is the only place people belong. 

Some people feel like they are that dog, on a leash, being forced into doing a “job.” (Okay, forgive that illustration!)  

Others are like the geese: out in the rain but making the best of it. 

How would you describe yourself? 

Are you more like the dog or the geese? 

A simple truth for a complex issue 

If reopening the country were an easy choice, we would pick the easy choice. 

But, there are no easy or perfect choices when it comes to the complex issue of opening our country. 

Everyone has different circumstances in the quarantine situation, and everyone would probably say they wish some things would change. People are going to be hurt if we don’t reopen, and people are going to be hurt when we reopen. 

How do we make a right choice with no right answers?

Jesus set a great example for us. 

Many times, I’ve thought that if everyone on all sides obeyed this one truth the complexities of these days would be greatly simplified. 

The pure wisdom for doing right 

The Pharisees, the most “religious” people of the day, had heard that Jesus had stumped the Sadducees, the most intellectual of the Jewish leaders. 

One of the Pharisees, a lawyer by trade, asked Jesus a question hoping to “test him.” The man asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36). 

Pharisees believed in strict obedience to the letter of the Law. They also studied the books of the prophets and the wisdom literature. In fact, the Pharisees added their own words to those, including hundreds of extra laws they thought people should obey. 

The Sadducees only believed that the first five books, the Torah, should be considered Scripture and nothing else. They didn’t follow or respect most of the laws and behaviors the Pharisees considered essential. 

The question presented to Jesus was intended to test which side he was on: the Pharisees or the Sadducees. His answer baffled all of them. 

Jesus answered them saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40). 

Basically, Jesus told both groups how to settle their disagreements and choose wisely. 

The same pure wisdom he gave the Pharisees and Sadducees works today. 

Truth lives somewhere in the middle 

The reason it is so difficult to reopen the country is that people, on both sides, are right about some things—and wrong about others. The first step to finding answers is realizing that no one side has it. 

Truth can be found in the perfect answer Jesus gave. 

Love God completely and walk in his perfect will, then solutions will be clearer. 

Secondly, pay attention to the solutions that treat others the way you wish to be treated, or maybe the way you have chosen to treat yourself. 

The parable of the dog and the geese 

The dog was at the end of a leash, in the rain, because one of its masters had decided it was a good time to take it outside. The geese were stuck in the rain as well, but they were just fine. 

Today, the sun is shining and the rain is just a memory. What is the lesson of the parable? 

We are all in the rain, but some of the population is held by a leash while others are able to float freely, unbothered by the conditions. Some people just have things easier in this life while others adapt to things more easily.  

Either way, all can know that things will be different in the morning.  

Rights vs. right 

A few blogs ago, I wrote about the fact that we really aren’t in this together because we all have different circumstances and inclinations. There is one virus but a variety of possible harms. There are quarantine rules that apply to everyone, but the rules impact all of us differently. 

If you are a dog on that leash, find joy in the fact that soon you will be home—warm, dry, and surrounded by people who love you. 

If you are a goose on the pond, find joy in the fact that you are already at home, even in the storms. 

If you find yourself in the midst of a debate over rights versus right, remember what Jesus said: our job is to love God and others. 

The right things to do will be whatever can be done rightly in God’s eyes, for the good of others. 

Some are dogs and some are geese in this world, but everyone has the right to be loved. 

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).