By Bob Bunn
As I write this devotion, my family is heading for a wedding.
My one and only daughter is just weeks away from walking down the aisle. If you’ve ever been “parent of the bride,” you know the depictions in the movies can ring pretty true when you’re in the midst of it. Thankfully, my wife and daughter are handling a lot of the details. I joke that I only have three main responsibilities: walking her down the aisle, praying over the meal at the reception…and paying for everything.
But I’ve accepted another challenge as the big event draws near. I’m trying to lose some weight. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve been so focused on slimming down since my own wedding more than three decades ago. Call it vanity, but I want to look my best when the big day comes.
Regardless of how my physical transformation works out over the next month or so, it pales in comparison to the spiritual transformation that Jesus has already performed in my life as a believer. Theologians have long debated how He makes all things new, but the simple truth is that everyone who comes to Him walks away different. It’s impossible to encounter Christ and stay the same.
Paul told the Corinthians that Jesus makes us new creatures (2Corinthians 5:17). All the old stuff passes away, and He replaces it with something new. The spiritual junk that once weighed us down in the past gives way to the freedom and future only He can provide.
Part of that newness involves a restored relationship with the Father. Paul called it “reconciliation,” and it’s a spiritual game changer. See, before we came to Jesus, we were essentially at war with God. We were following in the footsteps of Adam and Eve, rebelling against our Creator and relying on our own ideas and agendas. While turning against the One who made us, sustains us, and loves us more than we can imagine makes no sense, sin warps our logic. And it alienates us from our heavenly Father.
But Jesus reconciles people to God. By His death He paid the price for our sins, and through His resurrection, He provides eternal life. When we accept what He’s done for us, we are reconnected to God.
We find healing. We discover hope. We experience reconciliation.
Best of all, this reconciliation comes with benefits for this life and the next. Because our relationship with God is restored through Jesus, we can take advantage of His guidance and His wisdom during our time on earth. But we also have the assurance that this world is not all there is. All of us would be wise to reflect on where we are with God these days. If we need to experience reconciliation, He’s standing by with open arms to welcome us back. If we’ve already made that decision, we can celebrate what it means for this life and the next.
We are new. We are reconciled. Our lives should never be the same.
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