Reconciled to Reconcilers

This week, I've had a middle school girl come and ask for a listening ear regarding middle school girl "drama". Bless her. Little does she know, I still wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares of my mean girl days. I have dreams that I walk into the lunchroom and everyone is whispering because the jeans I'm wearing don't have the cool designer label. #help. So, I may not be the best one to advise her, because I still break out into a sweat thinking about the brutality of 7th grade.

As we stayed up late texting last night, I was reminded of one of my favorite excerpts of Paul's letters to the Church in 2 Corinthians. In Chapter 5, we so often hear the verse "If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation the old has gone, the new has come!" Which is so beautiful, and one of the most encouraging images portrayed in the New Testament. The fact that my old, dusty and broken life is made brand new through Christ gives me great hope and a high calling. 

BUT, here's what I reminded my sweet middle school friend,  if we keep reading in verse 18, here's what that means for us as we live out our faith:

"All of this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting our sins against us. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. "

We now, are given a task after accepting our newness. We, as reconciled people, are called to continue the work of Christ's reconciliation. The Reconciled become the Reconcilers. After restoring relationship with Christ, we are called to restore a right relationship with people in our lives, and to even lead others to a right relationship with Jesus. Paul says it clearly, this is now a ministry to all of us. It's not an optional way of living, it's not an option that some are called to. It's a way of living in light of the Gospel, being a new creation, fashioned to look more like Christ and make His glory known.

When people are called to their own call to ministry in workplaces, in their homes, or those with a with individual gifts, those are all specialized. Christ doesn't call for us ALL to go out and spread the gospel through singing. (Praise the Lord for that.)  But, this ministry of reconciliation, is universal, a calling and a mission for all of Christ's disciples. It's a ministry that we are united in, a calling that isn't an option.

Where this week are you going to bring about reconciliation to Christ? How are you going to help others be reconciled in their relationships? How are YOU yourself going to mend and fix relationships that are not right in your life? In the words of Paul, Christ is making His appeal for reconciliation and newness through US! How will you make that known?