2 Corinthians 5:17-21 / Make Each Day Count
In a recent article about where we invest our time, author and theologian John Piper wrote this:
“Every day is either invested well or is lost forever.
Every breath you take, every minute of life you have, is a free gift of God and a trust, a stewardship, which God says should be lived for his glory, for the magnifying of his Son.”
At the very moment we experience the grace of God through salvation, some things about us drastically change.
Our lives, once destined for an eternity without God now become an eternity with Him forever.
Our identity goes from being hopelessly lost to miraculously found.
Once prodigals far from home, we are now embraced as sons and daughters of the King and heirs with Christ.
Our eternity, our identity, and our family changes forever.
But that is not all that changes.
The Apostle Paul says our purpose will never be the same as well:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Upon salvation we shift from simply representing ourselves in our actions, words, and choices, to being a mouthpiece for the Creator of the Universe to the watching world!
We are His ambassadors – our lives give people a glimpse of the character and qualities of God.
In His grace, God has given us this ministry of reconciliation – a ministry of bringing two people at odds with each other back together.
God makes His appeal to sinners through us.
Isn’t that awesome? What a privilege!
So, a simple encouragement this week as we go about our everyday lives, interacting with people in need of reconciliation:
make each day count.
Let’s invest our time wisely in order to have maximum impact for the Kingdom – not out of a pressure to perform, but out of a passion for the lost!
“Every day is either invested well or is lost forever.
Every breath you take, every minute of life you have, is a free gift of God and a trust, a stewardship, which God says should be lived for his glory, for the magnifying of his Son.” – John Piper
How will you invest your day today?
With much love,
Pastor Dave