Reconcile-Repair-Reunion
Reconcile-Restore friendly relations between; cause to coexist in harmony; settle; accept.
Repair-fix or mend, make good.
Reunion-the act or process of being brought together again.
Summer brings reunions. Those time of "coming together" afford us the opportunity for reconciliation in relationships where previously a split has occurred or a cloud of discord has been hovering.
Relationship, repair, and reconciliation bring much more refreshment into our lives than discord. They allows both our blood pressure and stress level to lower.
God's Word kept giving and giving and teaching and teaching as I dug into the concept of reconciliation using the phrase "be at peace" in a Biblegateway search.
The Old Testament verses which surfaced related to the reinstatement of peace through killing. Yikes. "Everyone celebrated because Athaliah had been killed and Jerusalem was peaceful again."
2 Chronicles 23:21
The New Testament takes a twist. A different setting was in place. No king was ruling the Hebrew nation, the Hebrew people were scattered. We must remember God is omniscience (all-knowing) and has had a plan from the beginning of creation to reconcile us to himself. Our ways are not His ways. He knows our hearts and he knows what is to come in every situation in every period of time.
Romans 5:10 was a major remembrance for me! "Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet, something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son's life."
Paul continues to teach..."Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone. Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says, I am the one to take revenge and pay them back."
Romans 12:17-19
How is it possible to live this way?
"Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace."
Ephesians 4:3
Sometimes we need correction to see our part in the disunity process. Praise the Lord for friends, teachers and family who come alongside us.
"It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace." Hebrews 12:11
Here's the greatest message on reconciliation!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ has reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, 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 5:17-19
