Wednesday, October 30, 2013

YIC: D 24 of 30 A Slave Trader Who Found New Hope

'I once was lost but now am found.' These are the words John Newton penned for "Amazing Grace."

During the earlier years of his life, Newton spent time in the slave trade. But one day, Newton realized that he was lost, without a savior and without hope.

God was gracious and merciful to him. Despite his deep sin, God saved Newton and gave him a new hope in life. It was a hope not based on how much money or stuff he had, but rather a hope found in Jesus - one that will never fade away.

Like Newton, apart from faith in Christ we have "no hope and [are] without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12).

Apart from Christ, you are farther from God than you feared. In Christ, you are nearer to God than you hoped. Through faith in the truth about who God is and who h\He's made you to be, you're reconciled to God in Christ.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

What did God do for us through Jesus?

What ministry did God give us? How do we fulfill this ministry?

How are you and your family doing with the ministry of reconciliation?

Are you not reconciled with anybody? If you are, pray about what a way to reconciliation would look like and ask the Holy Spirit what He'd have for you in those relationships.

Prayer

Thank God that He has reconciled you to Him. Ask for His help and power in fulfilling the ministry of reconciliation (see Acts 1:8).

II Corinthians 5:18-21 NKJV

18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Ephesians 2:12 NKJV

12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Acts 1:8 NKJV

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1 comment:

  1. God brought us back to him byu giving His son as a sacrafice that we would no longer have to give a yearly living sacrafice to Him.
    The scriptures for todays reading says that He gave us the ministry of reconciliation or to bring us back under friendly circumstances... I for a very long time held grudges and would hold them for years and years. It would kill me some times especially the ones that were over stupid things.. then again, looking back, pretty much all the things I was angry at diffrent people were dumb or silly things to be holding grudges about. My journey these past few years have taught me these things. It is such a wonderful thing to not be filled with hate, by forgiving people and asking them too for thoier forgiveness is very uplifting. And yet even though this is a simple truth, it seems that no one gets it. Its the same way with beliving in Jesus, the simple truths are easy.. yet so many I fear over look it..

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