One Heart - Father Let Them Be OneSample

BE RECONCILED TO GOD

“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 NIV

The amazing message from the Scriptures is this: to bring about reconciliation is not our task. It is God’s! He is the great Reconciler. What none of us could do, He has done. Firstly, He has reconciled us to Himself. He has removed our sins, our guilt, everything that separated us from Him, while we were still sinners! It cost Him dearly – the death of His Son on the cross. Old things have passed away, and we have become new. The second thing God has done was to reconcile us to one another, to eradicate all the hatred and animosity, the lack of love and the sinfulness dividing us. Because God has stretched His arms out to us, we can embrace one another. God has paid us the greatest compliment imaginable – He has invited us to become His co-workers on earth. He has given us the power and responsibility to be ambassadors for His reconciliation.

Each day we will focus on the different aspects of becoming one. First becoming one with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Secondly, becoming one with our brothers and sisters in the Body of Jesus Christ, the Church. Thirdly, our role as peacemakers in the world around us. Daily prayer points focus first on our own individual lives (ME), then on the Church (US), and then on the world (THEM).

PRAYER POINTERS

ME: Have you personally accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour? Can you confidently call Him your Father? Do you know that He has forgiven your sins? Take a couple of minutes to thank Him for reconciling you to Himself.

US: Pray for your congregation to set aside time to reflect again on this basic foundational principle of our faith: God has reconciled every member of His church to Himself.

THEM: Pray that the gospel of reconciliation will infiltrate every sphere of society, that it will echo in every hall of parliament, in every cell in prison, in every household, school and university, in every courtroom and every hospital ward. Pray that the desire for reconciliation will become the cry of every heart in our nation.

Remember your John 17 memory verse.

“If ever a person had room to complain of injustice, it was Jesus. He was the only innocent man ever to be punished by God. If we stagger at the wrath of God, let us stagger at the cross. Here is where our astonishment should be focused. If we have cause for moral outrage, let it be directed at Golgotha.” – R.C. Sproul