RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES (4 OF 5)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: II Corinthians 5:16-21
This content is part of a series.
Reconcilable Differences (4 of 5)
Series: Conflict Resolution
Jeff Strite
II Corinthians 5:16-21
OPEN: A medical doctor once told of one of his patients who'd developed cancer. He said she'd grown up in an abusive, alcoholic family and felt bitterness toward her parents. But when she discovered she had cancer, she decided to change her attitude and try to show love to her parents - in spite of the harm they had done to her. At one point she moved her mother into her home, and every morning as the young woman left for work she'd tell her mother she loved her. But her mother NEVER answered.
One morning, after about 3 months the daughter was late for work and rushed out of the house.
Her mother went to the door and yelled out: ''You forgot something.''
''What?'' the woman asked.
''You forgot to say I love you.''
Realizing what had just happened, the daughter rushed back to her mother, they embraced and cried. And that moment was the beginning of their reconciliation as mother and daughter.
(Bernie S. Siegel, M.D. ''Prescriptions For Living'')
APPLY: Reconciliation means many things, but today we're looking at this definition: ''to fix broken relationships.''
In our text this morning, God tells us that that was what he did for us. Our relationship with God was broken... so God fixed it - He reconciled us to himself. What I find interesting about this passage is that God says: NOW that He's reconciled US to HIM... He wants US to be a RECONCILER with others:
''All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.'' II Corinthians 5:18-19
Now for us Christians - this means a couple of things: 1st it means that we are called to be reconcilers in the church. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: ''Blessed are the peacemakers, for they s ...
Series: Conflict Resolution
Jeff Strite
II Corinthians 5:16-21
OPEN: A medical doctor once told of one of his patients who'd developed cancer. He said she'd grown up in an abusive, alcoholic family and felt bitterness toward her parents. But when she discovered she had cancer, she decided to change her attitude and try to show love to her parents - in spite of the harm they had done to her. At one point she moved her mother into her home, and every morning as the young woman left for work she'd tell her mother she loved her. But her mother NEVER answered.
One morning, after about 3 months the daughter was late for work and rushed out of the house.
Her mother went to the door and yelled out: ''You forgot something.''
''What?'' the woman asked.
''You forgot to say I love you.''
Realizing what had just happened, the daughter rushed back to her mother, they embraced and cried. And that moment was the beginning of their reconciliation as mother and daughter.
(Bernie S. Siegel, M.D. ''Prescriptions For Living'')
APPLY: Reconciliation means many things, but today we're looking at this definition: ''to fix broken relationships.''
In our text this morning, God tells us that that was what he did for us. Our relationship with God was broken... so God fixed it - He reconciled us to himself. What I find interesting about this passage is that God says: NOW that He's reconciled US to HIM... He wants US to be a RECONCILER with others:
''All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.'' II Corinthians 5:18-19
Now for us Christians - this means a couple of things: 1st it means that we are called to be reconcilers in the church. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: ''Blessed are the peacemakers, for they s ...
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