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“"The God-ward Side of Reconciliation"”

Thoughts for Today:

My twelve year old daughter Amanda has been testing the boundaries of my patience lately. It seems as if I have to remind her of even the most basic of her responsibilities: Have you brushed and flossed your teeth? Did you put away your things in the bathroom? Did you hang your towel? Did you feed the dogs? Did you give them water? The list goes on and on. I feel like a nag. After a few days of this, I finally said, "I'm really getting irritated. You and I both know what you are supposed to do and you are old enough to not be reminded. So here's the deal, you make your own list and check it off. I'm going to review your work at the end of each day and if you've not done something on your list, then you lose your television and other electronic privileges -- until I see two consecutive days of perfect behavior."

Later that evening, Amanda took me on a tour of her bedroom and bathroom. I said, "Great job! Thank you very much." She said, "I'm really sorry Dad, I promise to be better." Do you think Amanda will perfectly execute her chores from this point forward? Of course not. Nor will you and I, even though we are adults and should know better. So why isn't God constantly irritated with us? Why doesn't He cancel our privileges and punish us? Wouldn't He be justified in pulling out of the relationship because we've failed in our disciplines? At one time or another, everyone has given Him just cause to do so. Yet God has already reconciled Himself to us through Christ. Jesus paid the price. He did the work. In our passage today, notice that this is the God-ward side of forgiveness and reconciliation. We certainly don't deserve it because of our "perfect behavior".

Questions to Ponder:

Aren't you glad that God isn't a father like me? It would really be unpleasant. I am so grateful for the gift of Jesus. Are you? Do you have reconciliation with God in the right perspective? What is God speaking to you about now? How will you respond?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.