Reconciliation

Lord God Almighty,

You are beforehand with men for You have reconciled Yourself to the world through the cross, and do beseech men to accept reconciliation.

It is my responsibility to grasp your overtures of grace, for if You, the offended part, act first with the word of appeasement, I need not call in question Your willingness to save, but must deplore my own foolish maliciousness; If I do not come to You as the one who seeks Your favor, I live in contempt, anger, malice, self-sufficiency, and You do call it enmity.

You have taught me the necessity of a Mediator, a Messiah, to be embraced in love with all my heart, as king to rule me, as prophet to guide me, as priest to take away my sin and death, and this by faith in Your beloved Son who teaches me not to guide myself, not to obey myself, not to try to rule and conquer sin, but to cleave to the one who will do all for me.

You have made known to me that to save me is Christ’s work, but to cleave to him by faith is my work, and with this faith is the necessity of my daily repentance as a mourning for the sin which Christ by grace has removed.

Continue, O God, to teach me that faith apprehends Christ’s righteousness not only for the satisfaction of justice, but as unspotted evidence of Your love to me.  

Help me to make use of this work of salvation as the ground of peace, and of Your favor to, and acceptance of me the sinner, so that I may live always near the cross.

Abba,

Why am I so often such a fool?  Why do I so often run after the passion of the flesh when the delights of heaven are before me?  Oh foolish man that I am, let me again and again and again and again see and be gripped with the truths of this prayer; of the truths of your deep love that have brought us back into fellowship and enjoyment of you!

This treasure of reconciliation that has been granted to us is the richest and most wondrous blessing, pleasure, and delight that we could ever hope to gain possession of!  

And we have it!  

Because of your great work through Jesus!

Oh Abba, may we live like we possess it!  May we live like we cherish it!   May we never run to lesser passion and feebler delights when the succulent feast of heaven lays open to us and only asks that we come.

We love you!