Ministry Of Reconciliation

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You're listening to the My Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1181. Today's Devo is called Ministry of Reconciliation. Hey there. We're the Alessies, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast. Happy Monday, everybody, and also Happy New Year from yours truly. I will be your host for this week. My name is Lauren Alessi and I'm truly excited to be your host for this week. We had Allison host two full weeks for us, so we just want to thank Allison for her help. Thank her for all she's done and the blessing she has pioneered for this podcast.

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So we love you, Allison. But as we jump into the Word today, happy New Year to everyone. I hope you have had a wonderful holiday, a wonderful Christmas, a wonderful new year so far, and that you're back into the groove of things. But let's dive into the Word. I want to speak about the ministry of newness and the ministry of reconciliation and what that looks like. Today. We are reading out of Second Corinthians 5, verses 16 through 18, and if we feel like it, we may just keep on reading. Who knows? So 2 Corinthians 5, verse 16. And it says this. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 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 reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Let's just look at that part again in verse 16, how it ends this. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we once saw Jesus as a man who came to earth through a flesh.

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We regard him thus no longer. In 17 it says, Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is talking to me and you, brothers and sisters. If anyone is in Christ, He. He is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. And then it ends like this. All of this, all of this that Paul is saying about the old has passed away. The new has come. All of this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. So as you're listening to this, this morning, maybe you've had a really, really Tough week. Maybe you've had a tough time closing out the old year and and entering into a new year.

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Maybe you're struggling with leaving 2024. In 2024, whatever challenges you're facing, just remember the old has passed away. Behold, you are a new creation. Even if it seems like that's hard to believe, even though it seems like New Year's is just one day going on to the next, it's just another day. It's not a big deal. Every morning we wake up, wake up as Christ's new creation. And so if that's a hard thing for you to wrap your brain around, if it takes a little more faith, I just want to encourage you that this is not my words.

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This is not what I'm saying. This is straight from the Bible.

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And it says this. Behold, the new has come. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. So let's just believe that over our lives today that whatever happened in 2024, heck, whatever happened five to 10 years ago, that that has passed away. And behold, a new creation has come. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you for an amazing year. God, we thank you for whatever happened in 2024. But God, we thank you even more that Lord, that has passed away. And we get to step into a new creation. And whatever this year holds, God, we walk into it with faith. God, we walk into it with courage, Lord, we walk into it with hope, Lord. And Lord, even if we are lacking those things, God, we just ask right now that you impart us those things. God, give us courage, give us strength, give us hope, give us faith, Lord, to be able to walk into the new creation that you have for us. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. So there you have it. Your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend. Like leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow, we pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.