Eyes Wide Open: 41-Day Lenten Devotional Sample

A Reconciliation Built on Love

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” -  Isaiah 43:19

Isaiah speaks of God’s deliverance of a rebellious Israel with these words, and you can almost hear them echo in Paul’s writing of 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.” 

There is a transformation that occurs when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior—our sin in exchange for Jesus’ righteousness, becoming holy, set apart, to live in right relationship with God. 

As James 2:23 puts it, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” He “counted” (a very financial term) all of Abraham’s sin like mine and yours; it was put on Jesus (into his ‘account’), and in exchange, Jesus’ righteousness was put on us (into our ‘accounts’). 

God has reconciled us to himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, and committed the message of reconciliation to us. But this message and our evangelism isn’t just about pointing out the sins of others or sharing a great message of good news eloquently. It isn’t just about fathoming mysteries and knowledge or having faith that can move mountains or giving everything away to the least of these. Without love, that is all nothing; we are bankrupt without love. 

The exchange that happened was our old life for a new one in Christ, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit to be made in God’s image—and God is love. If we do not love, we have gotten nowhere. 

Our love for Jesus must compel our message; it must transform how we treat others. Indeed, it is the way God is making through the wilderness of human hearts drawing people to himself. Do you not perceive it?

Prayer: Father, compel me with your love to see ways to speak your love into the hearts of those around me.

- Written by Colleen Cooper