God’s problem solving technique seems counterintuitive to us but it’s a gift we’re urged to re-gift to change our whole life.
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
Here’s the dilemma
Apparently God had a real problem with us humans. We had fouled up so many times (just read your Old Testament) that He was at wits end. He was completely flummoxed (yes, flummoxed) and the only solution he could come up with was to send in his best man, his one and only son, to mend the fence. Still it all went down in a sort of strangely backward way (if you come at it from our way of thinking).
How we would handle it
When we’re frustrated with someone, we might stonewall them, give them the stink eye, or maybe even come to verbal or physical blows. We DO NOT send our most prized and loved son to the enemy camp knowing he’s going there to die for the sins of all those crumbs. But that’s what God did and that’s how he did it and we’ve never been the same since. Not if we’re really in Christ.
How God handled it
The relationship we enjoy with Christ, who was one of us, has given us the path, the way, the truth and made our lives. We’re a whole new ball of wax if we know him. As if that wasn’t enough we’ve been gifted with our own ministry of reconciliation. It’s our job, our mission to act like Christ and lay down our lives, our pride, our reputation, our everything; to save others. Just like Jesus, it’s knowing others and letting them know us and the one who makes us new that has become our charge. Cousin Eddie hit it on the head when he said, “It’s the gift that keeps on givin, Clark.”
Something to Think About:
How can you mend a bridge today or give away the greatest gift you’ve ever been given to someone else?