8月30日
标 题：和好的职分
经 节：一切都是出于神；祂借着基督使我们与祂和好，又将劝人与祂和好的职分赐给我们。（哥林多后书五章18节）
这个世界充满了许许多多的人，他们的罪使得他们与神隔绝。基督的牺牲恢复了基督徒与天父之间爱的关系。身为基督徒，我们被委派和好的职分。当基督住进我们的心里，我们成为祂的大使，恳求他人与祂和好（哥林多后书五：20）。我们是神的和平信使，要激励其他人转向神（马太福音五：9）。
罪破坏我们与神的关系，也使我们与人的关系破裂。破裂的人际关系，是这时代的流行性传染病。罪离间家人、破坏友谊、分裂教会，并且毁坏婚姻关系。罪会制造疑心、嫉妒、仇恨、贪婪，和所有破败的关系。惟有基督能弥补罪在人际关系上的悲惨影响。身为神的大使，我们要把和好的信息带到破裂分离的世界。我们鼓励人要先与神和好，再与其他人和好。
神的和平信使们彼此对立不合，是多么悲痛的事！我们带着爱的信息，却又充满仇恨，这使我们的使命受到扭曲。如果你拒绝饶恕某人，你和解的信息只是假冒为善。作为耶稣门徒的证据，是去爱你的基督徒同伴（约翰福音十三：35）。在每一层人际关系上，要确定你的行动反映出你由神那儿得到的爱与饶恕。那么，你就不仅是传扬和平的信息，也同时活出和平的信息。
A Ministry of
Reconciliation
Now all things are of
God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us
the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18)
The world
abounds with people whose sin has alienated them from God. Christ’s sacrificial
work has restored Christians to a love relationship with the heavenly Father.
As Christians, we are appointed as ministers of reconciliation. Once Christ
dwells within us, we become His ambassadors, and we entreat others to be
reconciled to Him (2 Cor. 5:20). We are God’s messengers of peace, urging
others to return to God (Matt. 5:9).
Sin breaks our
relationship with God; it severs relationships with others as well. Broken
relationships are the epidemic of our day. Sin alienates family members,
separates friends, divides churches, and destroys marriages. Sin creates
mistrust, jealousy, hatred, and greed, all of which devastate relationships.
Only Christ has the remedy for the disastrous effect of sin on human
relationships. As His ambassadors, we are to take the message of reconciliation
to a broken, divided world. We urge reconciliation first with God, and then
with each other.
How tragic
when God’s messengers of peace harbor enmity toward each other. It is a
travesty to carry a message of love and yet be filled with hatred. If there is
someone whom you refuse to forgive, your message of reconciliation is
hypocrisy. The evidence that you are a disciple of Jesus is that you love your
fellow Christian (John 13:35). In each of your relationships, make certain that
your actions share the love and forgiveness that reflect what you received from
God. Then you will not only speak the message of reconciliation, but you will
live it as well.
