COLOSSIANS 1:21-23
RECONCILED
Colossians 1:21-23 (BSB) Once you were alienatedG526 from God and were hostile in your minds because of your evil deeds. But now He has reconciledG604 you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
apallŏtriŏō526 – to estrange away, i.e. (pass. and fig.) to be non-participant: alienate, be alien.
apŏkatallassō604 – to reconcile fully: – reconcile.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
Once I was estranged from God,
alienated because of my sin;
but a miraculous thing happened! I accepted His gift
and turned my life over to Him.
Because of Christ’s death for me on the cross,
I am completely reconciled.
Instead of being God’s enemy,
He’s adopted me as His child!
Often when two people are estranged, there is some guilt on both sides. When it comes to being estranged from God, however, it is always we mortals who have walked away. We are born with a sinful nature, but God has made a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to him. Do you know people who have heard the Gospel yet walked away remaining alienated from the Lord?
Perhaps you are reading this and realize that you are still a non-participant when comes to God’s offer of a relationship. The Almighty Father offers you adoption into his own family. He sent his Son, Jesus, to die in your place on the cross; so that you could be fully reconciled to God. Jesus rose from the dead and holds out the hope that we can live with him forever enjoying abundant life. Stop walking away! Talk to God and confess that you are alienated from him because of sin. Ask him to forgive you and adopt you into his family. Ask him come into your life and establish a relationship with you in order to allow you to live for him and turn from wickedness. Accept the gift of salvation Christ died on the cross to give you. He holds it out, but you have to talk to him in order to accept it.
Father, thank you for reconciling us to you through the blood of Jesus. Help us to live daily in a way that is honoring to you. Help us not to tarnish our family name of Christian. Help us to participate actively in our relationship moment to moment. Thank you for the opportunity to walk and talk with the Creator of the universe! It’s so amazing to realize that you know our thoughts even before we typed them just now. Your power is overwhelming, but so is your grace and love!