Welcome! Pull up a chair and grab a coffee. I hope you can enjoy and grow in this space.
While we have that cup of coffee, can we start with what I believe is the most important thing? In fact, what if we start by imagining sitting down with God for a chat over that cup of coffee?
How would you feel about that conversation? Is there anything awkward between you and God? Any elephants in the room?
We might think of reasons to be intimidated—after all, God is the maker of all things, the ruler of all places and times, the judge of all people, and one who always does what is right. Or we might think that it would be OK, since God is kind and incredibly loving. Or we might even be thinking of something we’re angry with God about; something that would chill the conversation.
In fact, the Bible tells us that whatever else is going on, there is a fundamental problem between each of us and God. Your biggest problem is the same as mine. Our biggest problem, the one that we cannot fix ourselves no matter how much we try, is that we have done things that are wrong (what we call sin), and what is worse, we have sinned not just against other people, but against God, our Father.
We have all wanted to call our own shots, tried to be the god of our lives. We rejected Him as the authority and went our own sinful way. Those sins separate us from the perfect, always-good God, and we can never do enough good things to erase the stain of our bad things. That chat over coffee is starting to look pretty awkward.
But this doesn’t end like some awful holiday dinner among estranged family members. God himself, full of mercy, has come up with a solution. Instead of cutting us out of his life, God Himself came down in human form. Jesus Christ, both God and human, came and lived the perfect life we could not live, and then He died the death that we deserve. And He didn’t stay dead. Because He is God, He came back to life, demonstrating His power over sin and death.
This power enables Him to reach down and rescue us as well. We can also be saved from sin and death. This is God’s plan—His solution to our biggest problem—and the good news that He offers to us. God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him, to be able to be changed, forgiven, and justified.
And so we are reconciled the way that every reconciliation happens—we deal with the thing that’s keeping us apart. We must confess our sin, repent of going our own way, and recognize that Jesus Christ is our rescuer and the only way to return to God, who waits for us with open arms. Whatever things we want to see changed in our lives, everything begins with the good news that God offers us through Jesus Christ. It all begins with God’s forgiveness.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Psalm 32:1
Have you experienced this forgiveness? If you have, you can live each day knowing that your biggest problem has already been solved. You can live rejoicing in that reality, that your identity as the reconciled child of God can never be reversed, and that there is nothing between you and God.
If you haven’t, I ask that you stop and respond to God’s saving call today. See God’s truth, how He loves you and is reaching out to you, even now as you are reading this. You can also be blessed by God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and His forgiveness.
There are many more verses directing us to how we can be reconciled to God.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Psalm 86:5
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Romans 10:9–10
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known[c] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Ephesians 1:7–10
Do you want to know more? Here’s a helpful sermon, preached by by husband, who occasionally writes here too. He preached this sermon about how God reconciles us to Himself.