ambassadors for Christ

Good morning sisters and brothers,
In our reading for today Paul presents the good news of God's redeeming love in Jesus. When we were far from God, God sent Jesus into our world to become sin so that we could become righteous in God's eyes. Through that ministry we are brought back to God. That offer to come home to God is always open, but we never know how much time we have left. That's why Paul reminds us that now is the acceptable time to come home.

We don't just bask in God's love, though, we also become ministers of reconciliation for others. Like Paul we seek to be ambassadors for Christ reaching out to others with God's love. We hear Paul's words about being careful not to put any obstacles in anyone's way. Our job is to make it easier for people to find God. So today and all Lent, be reconciled to God and reconcile others to him too.

God bless your ministry,
Sam

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

5:20bwe entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

6:1As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says,
“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!


3We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see — we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.