Step 1 to Reconciliation: Seek Jesus
The past two weeks have been some of the most painful for many. There has been a lot of division, cases of injustice, hate, and pain. I chose to not post any new content the past two weeks because I wanted to take time to reflect and spend time in scripture and prayer about how God wanted me to respond. If I’m being honest, it was really difficult trying to figure out how to respond and what action steps to take. Do I sign petitions, do I donate, do I post on social media? One night I was talking with God, asking how this problem of injustice and division could ever be fully resolved. It seemed like too big of an issue and I couldn’t figure out what the answer was. And then I just felt God say Jesus. That Jesus was the answer to all of this. As I thought about all of this I realized that on ABIDE, we’d been diving into how through Jesus we find freedom and new life. John 16:33 says “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”. Jesus already came and offered us a way towards restoration and healing. Right now we are in the middle of spiritual warfare. Injustice occurs because we live in a sinful world with sinful people. And things like racism are from the enemy, so if we are going to have any hope at all in defeating it, it will be through Jesus.
Jesus is our HOPE
What I came to realize that night is Jesus already overcame the world, but He also left us with a perfect example of how to live. He modeled not only a life that is lived according to God’s will, but also what it looks like to love other people. He was a friend, a companion, someone people could pray and talk with, a teacher. Jesus broke down so many different barriers while he was on earth. He never let a person’s socioeconomic status, gender, whether they were sick, the area they were from, their past mistakes or reputation get in the way of Him connecting with them. He never treated people differently. He simply loved and cared for people. If we take time to read through some of the stories in the bible, we can see the different accounts where Jesus sought out those who felt undeserving and unseen. Even Jesus’ disciples at times would tell Jesus “oh we don’t go to that area or you don’t want to talk to that person”. Yet Jesus knew what He was doing each time. Mary Magdalen, who was a woman that is mentioned quite a few times with Jesus, and was the first person to share the good news that Jesus had been risen, had demons cast out of her. Jesus didn’t let that stop Him from using her to share the word of God and be a close companion. In the story of the woman at the well, she was from an area that Jews didn’t associate with, was a woman, had been divorced, and was living with a man who wasn’t her husband. Yet Jesus talked with her, drank from her cup (which would’ve been seen as crazy), which ended up leading her bringing lots of people to Jesus—because He took time to form a relationship with her.
We have to look to how Jesus acted to figure out how we respond
Mike Todd, the pastor at Transformation church said in one of His sermons that, “we have to be able to look biblically on everything that is happening in our world, in our societies, in our lives”. We have to allow God’s word to lead our way and to be the light wherever there is darkness. Allow it to give us wisdom, to learn about Jesus’ words and actions, and to learn how God calls us to live. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 it says “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”. Jesus overcame the world, and He is the one who offers us reconciliation and salvation in our lives. As we look biblically to learn, we can reflect on our own lives to figure out where we fall short. We can repent, and bring that to Jesus- inviting Him into our tough spaces, and that my friend is where reconciliation will come. When we turn our face to Jesus, that is when we will be on the track to lasting change and reconciliation in our world.
♡ Lindsay
Reflect: Take time this week to read through the gospels. Write down what you notice about how Jesus interacted with people, and who he interacted with. Take time to reflect on your own life and how you are interacting with others. If you notice there are things you have to work on, bring the to God. Spend time in prayer, asking God to show you your next steps.
