Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
March 16, 2022
Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16 So then, from this point on we won’t recognize people by human standards. Even though we used to know Christ by human standards, that isn’t how we know him now. 17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! 18 All of these new things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 In other words, God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ, by not counting people’s sins against them. He has trusted us with this message of reconciliation. 20 So we are ambassadors who represent Christ. God is negotiating with you through us. We beg you as Christ’s representatives, “Be reconciled to God!” 21 God caused the one who didn’t know sin to be sin for our sake so that through him we could become the righteousness of God.
Good Morning, Be reconciled to God!
Christ delivered to us, the children of God, a new way. For that time, the teachings of Jesus seemed radical because they were 180 degrees from how things were currently understood. The Pharisees represented the old way. In their defense, they worked to interpret the word of God for the people, but over time most became enamored by the power that came with being a Pharisee.
As with the Pharisees who started out in support of a good cause, we too can easily be distracted by the earthly ideas that seem to be the norms. First, on that list, is the earthly view of power. Earthly power most often leads to corruption as each gain urges us to seek more power. Jesus came and called us to humble ourselves before God as we began the journey into a new life: an eternal life in Christ.
How can we humble ourselves, yet wield power over others? There is the problem! Instead of lauding our power over those weaker than ourselves, we need to joyfully serve them in the name of Christ. This service is not an obligation, but a response to the love that God graciously shares with us every moment of our lives. The key to our lives in Christ is love. God’s love must be the foundation of our being. Through this great love, the world will be saved.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. We struggle with humbling ourselves. It seems to be innate to want to be better than others, yet you call us to serve you joyfully. We will try harder to love all of Your children. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: When I let go of what no longer serves me, God will guide me to fresh ways.
Smile! God loves us! Pastor Liz
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