For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:19-20 NET)
God, the creator of the universe, who never began and will never end, all knowing and all powerful, looked down on our tiny sin-filled planet and loved us with the love of a caring father. He decided to leave the glory of heaven to shrink down to our puny limited life form and live with us, and eventually allowed Himself to be murdered by us in the most torturous and disgraceful way. All so that we could be reconciled to Him. There was no other way to rescue our pitiful human race but for someone to offer a perfect blood sacrifice for us. And so God sent His own Son.
When we think of the absurdity of what God did, of the unbelievable love that He showed us by that act of total sacrifice, we should fall on our faces before Him in gratitude and worship, every day of our lives. We can now be reconciled to Him, to actually be accepted into heaven and welcomed not as filthy beggars, but as children – heirs. It’s just not fair that God would give us so much when all we have to offer him are sin-stained souls and selfish desires. God loved us even when we were still stuck in sin (Romans 5:8).
When He becomes our Lord, we no longer choose the paths we take or the kinds of morals we want to live by. His word becomes the final word in all our decisions, with no ifs, ands, or buts. It’s the least we can do for someone who is offering us heaven, and an intimate relationship with Him. Reconciling means we can now be His friends. The friend of the most powerful being in the universe, the one who gives us every breath we take. He opens His arms to welcome us into His throne room to begin to live in victory and power to overcome evil. He gives us authority to trample the devil, to bind up principalities, and to become a blessing and a light to everyone around us. This is what reconciliation is meant to be.
One question each of us need to ask, is if Jesus has now reconciled us to Himself, are we using that power and authority? Are we trampling evil, or has it been holding us hostage?
Jesus gave His last drop of blood so that we could be united to Him. If we aren’t surrendering to Him and accepting the power He is offering us, we are disrespecting His sacrifice on the cross. Let’s learn how to take full advantage of all He purchased for us so that His honor and glory can be seen throughout the earth.
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