2 Corinthians 5 - 1.1.24

Happy New Year church family!

Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:17; 20- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here!…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.

Observation

Paul is saying that because of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, reconciliation with God has been made possible. David Guzik’s commentary on enduringword.com says that Paul could be imploring “the whole world on Christ’s behalf” or imploring “Corinthian Christians on Christ’s behalf.” “The thought is valid either way, and both ideas may be in mind.”

Application

Be reconciled to God and join us for our 28 days of prayer and fasting.

Another word for reconciliation is restoration, like restoring something that is broken or not working as it should or used to work (Source: New Oxford American Dictionary).

When my relationship with the Lord doesn’t feel secure or as deep as it should be, it’s 100% my fault. Prayer and fasting always helps me during those times, such as fasting meals so that I could spend more quiet time with Him and rely on Him. Also, getting off social media for a month helps me to quiet my mind and fill it more with Him through prayer, journaling and reading His Word and other books that point me to Christ. The amazing thing is that when my relationship with Christ is good, it affects all other areas of my life and relationships too, for the better!

Come join us as we pray and fast as a church family for 28 days!The kickoff is this Wednesday, January 3rd at 6:30p. Here are a couple more links with information on it:

Prayer and Fasting

https://www.desertstreams.com/28days

One on One’s

https://www.desertstreams.com/one-on-one

Prayer

Dear Lord,

I pray over this New Year and this week as we kick off our 28 days as a church family. May our roots grow deeper with You and may we eliminate any and all distractions that keep us away from You. May we be reconciled in our minds and hearts with our relationship with You. Amen.

-Michelle Gaddi