For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:19 (NLT)

 

Everyone has a relationship with God, either one of rebellion or one of repentance. Wherever they are on their journeys, we are sent by God to walk alongside them and help them uncover God’s story in their lives.

We are reconciled to God through the finished work of Christ on the cross and are part of God’s ministry of reconciliation. This means we are participating with God in reaching people around us through genuine love and practical acts of kindness. Having experienced the grace and freedom of Christ, we choose to be His healing hands to reach out and serve others.

We see in the four Gospels how Jesus was led to people and places where He proclaimed and demonstrated the power of the gospel of the Kingdom. In the same way, be open and sensitive to His Spirit and trust Him to direct you to those whom He is already at work in their hearts. Draw near and listen and identify with their places of pain and reach out with compassion and mercy. Leading others to reconcile with God opens a whole new world of possibilities for them to reconcile with others and find peace and rest.

The best part is, we are never called to work alone, but rather we are to work in unity with God to accomplish His Kingdom purpose. The closer we are to God, the more readily we can open our hearts and hands to suffer with those who experiencing suffering and mourn with those mourn. This may well lead to new ways of living and relating where the fullness and completeness of Christ is our message and mission.