“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
John 15:4-5 KJV,https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.15.4-5.KJV
Entrusted and Empowered
Have you heard the good news? In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
God created us and called us good, but we were born into a fallen world. A beautiful-yet-broken world. A stunning-yet-sinful world. A world where many would rather choose their own way instead of following and submitting to God. A world where others try to earn their own salvation, but fall painfully short.
By the sheer grace of God, He has made a way for sinners through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One who specializes in making all things new.
Paul goes on to say in his letter:
“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.”
2 Corinthians 5:18 NLT
To reconcile, by definition, means to “make peace” or to “restore a...