Mr.  Potter just needed Jesus

I fully believe that God has a plan more incredible than we could ever imagine for each and every person.  This plan is not something that He withholds and keeps from us. He has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3).  The plan is there for the taking. The Bible says that the Kingdom of Heaven, which is the way things are done in Heaven, is advancing forcefully into this earthly realm and we need to go after it with all of our might (Matthew 11:12).  The blessings of Heaven have come to Earth, but we have to go after it. But how? And this brings us to the Verse of the Day:

2 Corinthians 5:18

18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

(NIV)

A New Way of Life…

The Kingdom of Heaven is a way of life that releases the goodness of Heaven into our daily life here on Earth.  It is a way of life. It is not one particular thing that we must do, but a lifestyle. It can’t be piecemealed.  We can’t take parts and ignore other parts and expect to experience the same blessed plan that God has for us.  

We tend to live life trying to gather earthly blessings while forgetting the lifestyle of Heaven.  But God’s promise is that if we seek first the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven, He will bring to us earthly blessings.  The plan that God has for us requires a paradigm shift in priorities of every single day. We are not carpenter’s, plumbers, lawyers, teachers, preachers, or mailmen.  We are ambassadors of Christ with the mission of helping people be reconciled back to God. Our earthly occupation is simply our assigned sphere of influence in order to accomplish our mission.  We have the ministry of reconciliation.

The beginning of our Verse today is tied to a previous statement.  Let me share the context with you:

2 Corinthians 5:16-20

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 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. 20 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.

(NIV)

The passage is defining our outlook of people according to our mission.  To go after the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven, we must not regard anyone from a worldly point of view.  Our perspective of everyone should first be how they are doing spiritually and what do they need to be reconciled to God.  Are they saved? Are they baby Christians who need someone to mentor and disciple them? Are they struggling in their faith?  If we are mature in our own walk, this is how we will look at every one. This includes our immediate family…even at Christmas.  You know, Uncle Bob who is such a difficult person needs to be seen through the eyes of Christ. Does he need to be loved despite his own demeanor?  Does he need truth spoken to him in love? Does he need encouragement? Does he need loving accountability?

How do you see people?

When we go to the shopping mall and people are clamoring for that latest and greatest toy for their kid pushing us out of the way to get to it, our perspective should be what can you do in that moment to reconcile them back to God.  Maybe they need to hear “Merry Christmas.” Maybe “God bless you.” Maybe they just need grace for their bad behavior.  

Imagine how different you will be when you regard everyone you see and meet from a spiritual point of view according to your ministry of reconciliation.  This will make you more loving, more peaceful, more graceful. God will work through you more and bless you in a greater way knowing you are using those blessings to be a blessing.  Pursue the ministry of reconciliation and God will bring more Heavenly blessing and earthly provision than you could ever imagine.