Tuesday, October 24, 2023

As a kid, I enjoyed making pottery at school. I once made a small, square piece of Roman Relief from red clay. Sadly, I dropped it and it cracked down the center. Although the pieces fit back together, I wasn’t able to properly fix it. No matter what I tried, it still had a line down the middle where it had cracked. The original design was lost, and there was no way to restore it to what it had been. 

Have you ever felt like my clay creation—broken and in need of being restored? Perhaps you even feel like you are cracked and beyond repair. Let me assure you—you are not!  

Indeed, due to our fallen sin nature, we are all broken, but God loves us deeply and offers us the precious gift of reconciliation through Christ. 

2 Corinthians 5:18-19
¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

It is our sin that separates us from God. Thankfully, when we accept Jesus as our Savior, God extends grace and love to us. We are brought back into relationship with him (reconciled to him), and he no longer counts our sin against us—ever. We are forgiven. The beautiful thing is that, unlike my broken pottery, we are restored to his original design and purpose for our lives. 

Once we receive God’s gift of grace and love, he encourages us to share it with others and to invite them to restore their own relationship with God. As I watch this process unfold, I am amazed by the goodness of God. It’s extraordinary to see those who were once far from God return to his loving arms. I can’t think of a bigger blessing to share. 

Questions: 
What does restoration look like in your life? 

How has God brought you back into a relationship with him? 

What does God do to change us when we are reconciled back to him? 

Have you ever shared his love for you with others?

Next Steps: 
Pray for boldness as you reach out to someone who needs reconciliation with God.

Invite someone to church or over for coffee and have a conversation about God’s love. 

Prayer: 
God, thank you for the gift of reconciliation that you offered me. Now that I have received this gift, help me to reconcile others back to you. I don't want to miss out on sharing the message with others. I pray for boldness and strength to share this gift. I have been brought back to you God, now I am called to bring others back to you. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Matthew 6:33
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

This post was written by Becca Roberts, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.