All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18
Have you ever held a grudge? It doesn’t necessarily have to be against a person, it could be against a company, an organisation, or even a restaurant. It can happen when we aren’t treated the way we expect and we take umbrage, vowing to never speak to that person, go to that shop, participate in that group, ever again. I’m as guilty of this as the next person. Some years ago, I visited a number of showrooms in search of a new car. Having decided upon a make, the field narrowed to a few dealerships as I now searched for the best deal. The salesmen were very pleasant, doing their best to secure my business – all, that is, except one. He wasn’t interested in negotiating because, he said, he had ‘met his quota for the quarter and didn’t need to offer any discount’ therefore, he didn’t actually need my business that day. ‘Well, that’s just fine’, I thought to myself, ‘because I will never darken your door again. In fact, I will spread the word so that others won’t go to you either.’ Grudge firmly in place, I took my business elsewhere.
We can be really good at the ministry of hostility and inviting others to jump on our bandwagon, but that is not where God wants us to spend our energy. Keeping a tally of wrongs is an easy task; applying forgiveness – not so much.
In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19
Christ Jesus was sent to reconcile sinful people to a holy God; to restore a broken union. If we sow discord through grudges, we only add to the brokenness by creating more wounds. And yet, as the salt of the earth, we are supposed to be the ointment for the wounds. We have been reconciled to God through Christ and our sins are not counted against us. We must apply this same love and compassion through the ministry and message of reconciliation.
Only when we stop counting wrongs can we start healing.
Narrow Path Ministries 