Finding Hope and Purpose

Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ’s behalf:  Be reconciled to God.  21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  

Devotion
These versus encapsulate the gospel, the good news!  Jesus Christ (him who had no sin) took on sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God.  I read a daily devotion last week about what is sin and what Jesus did that changed my perspective.  The main point was that Jesus died for our sin, not our sins.  The original sin of man, where all sin comes from, was that we disobeyed God and ate the fruit that, according to the serpent, “will make you like God.”  Jesus took on our sinful nature, our desire to have our own way, our demand to have our rights, our need to do what we want to do, our drive to have pleasure.  In short, we want to be God over our lives.  

Jesus took on this sin nature and killed it.  We are new creatures because we no longer look to ourselves for all the answers and direction but now we look to God.  We have taken on the righteousness of God, which means that we are looking to God to do what is right.  What God wants in our lives is right and good.  To continue to grow and learn and live a less sinful life is to listen to God more and follow his word more in your life.  Putting God first kills sin.  

Paul goes on to say that we are Christ’s ambassadors and God is making his appeal to others through us.  As we look to God for direction each day, he will bring us into relationships with others who need Him.  Our lives and our experiences will be the message to them.  These three verses give us all hope and purpose.  

Prayer
Dear God, thank you for sending your son to earth to take on the punishment for our sin and to make us reconciled to you.  We look to you this week for wisdom and direction.  Speak to us through your word and through our prayers so that we are following you each day.  We say you are God over our lives.