FAITH CONNECTION – FARMERSVILLE UMC
Ministry Updates for Thursday, August 20th, 2020
Thank you to everyone who has donated scissors for the Valley View School District students. We have received over 300 pairs of scissors! Your generosity is heartfelt. We are still accepting donations through Monday, August 24.
Scripture – 2 Corinthians 5:19
…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.
Reflection – Reconciliation
I wonder what percentage of people reconcile their checkbooks anymore. Wait. Scratch that. I wonder how many people reconcile their bank accounts, given that checkbooks are going by the wayside.
Reconciling a bank account takes effort. Likewise, God reconciling the world to himself also takes effort. It took work on God’s part. Jesus left a perfect heaven to help us sort things out. He experienced most of the joys and pains that we all experience in this life. He did not have to do that, but he did.
We can think everything must be easy for God since God has great power. The problem is, he has given us choices. In order to give us freedom, he limited his power. And though he wants us to choose love, he will not make us do so. So instead, we often choose other things, and sometimes destructive other things.
God’s great power does not make his job of reconciling the world to himself an easy task. He is left with this tool called love. Love is about relationship, and in a relationship you can only control yourself. You hope the other person wants a good relationship too.
Love is not an easy task. It takes commitment, character, faith, hope, endurance, compassion, understanding, healing, and, well, all the stuff Jesus talked about and demonstrated. When the Bible says God was ‘reconciling the world to himself’, it is important to remember he does not wave a magic wand. It is work. Love is work. Jesus showed us that. But it is the most wonderful work we will ever do.
What is an effort you can make today to show someone your love, or God’s love?
Prayer:
God of love, God of hope, God of relationships, we thank you that you labor to be in relationship with us. We thank you that our sin is forgiven through Jesus. We thank you that we can get a fresh start with you. Help us never take for granted the lengths to which you go to reconcile us to you. We give you thanks that you want to pour out your blessings upon us, so that we may have a blessed life, and an eternal life with you. Amen.