Digging in Deeper: 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

“Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: ‘Be reconciled to God.’” (CBS – Read the chapter)‬‬

This morning we laid eyes and hearts on the truly amazing fact that in Christ, God doesn’t count our sins against us. Rather, He counts Jesus’ credit in our favor so that our accounts can be reconciled. Once we’ve been reconciled, though, then what? 

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Morning Musing: 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

“Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: ‘Be reconciled to God.’”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter)

If you are a follower of Jesus, have you ever wondered what salvation is for? Have you ever pondered why it is God has drawn us to Him through His Son? Well, the “why” is easy: His love. But what’s it for? In these verses Paul gives us an answer that’s as challenging as it is powerful. Check this out with me. 

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Digging in Deeper: 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter

Have you ever watched a caterpillar come out of its chrysalis as a butterfly? It’s a pretty remarkable thing to see. Actually, remarkable doesn’t quite cover it. It’s absolutely amazing. What goes into that cocoon is not the same thing that comes out of it. I can’t think of another creature that undergoes such a complete and total physical transformation as that. I can think of another creature, however, that experiences an equally dramatic transformation: Us. 

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Morning Musing: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

“For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If one died for all, then all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter

What does it mean that Jesus died and rose again? That’s kind of a big question. There have no doubt been whole books written on the matter. I’m aiming for this to take less than five minutes of your time, though, so what can we say right now? Paul gives us one really good thing here. Let’s talk about it. 

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The Problem with Work

After a couple of weeks off, this week brings us to part four of our series, Finding Meaning. One of the places we turn to for meaning in our lives is often our work. And that makes a lot of sense at first blush. After all, by the nature of the beast, we invest a lot of our lives there. We might as well try to get as much out of it as we can. But as with pleasure and wisdom, seeking meaning in our work is a trap and when it springs, it will leave us empty and searching. Keep reading to find out how we can get the most out of the work we do.

The Problem with Work

Have you ever done something that you knew, even while doing it, was a waste of your time?  I worked at OfficeMax in the print department while I was in seminary.  I really enjoyed the job and had a great boss.  My favorite part was working in production.  That kind of detailed and precise work was right up my alley and a nice break from school work.  We produced thousands of different documents while I was there from large format posters to bound workbooks to single copies.  If you wanted a document of any kind created, we could probably do it for you. 

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