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Being A Reconciler
Gen 3:10 & 12 '[Adam] answered [God], "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid ... The woman you put here with me-- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."' (NIV)
 In his book, 'Healing America's Wounds', John Dawson asserts that all alienation is a result of sin, of fallenness from God's design. Conversely, he says, all sin is a result of alienation. We are alienated from God, and then, because of this, we're alienated from each other. 'All sin is a violation of some type of relationship,' he writes. 'Idolatry is a sin against God himself, but it always carries a by-product called injustice. Everything God does and says promotes convergence, harmony and intimacy. Every device of Satan is aimed at breaking relationships, producing alienation and isolation.' The first by-products of Adam's fall from grace were shame and blame. His sense of shame was so great that he felt the need of physical clothing to cover his physical nakedness. Then he blamed his wife for what he'd done – and blamed God himself for giving her to him! From time to time, conflict will arise in even the closest of human relationships. After Adam, we are all fallen beings living in a fallen world. God in his grace has reached out, lifting us up, but we are still frail and we continue to need His tender healing in our lives. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are called not to be an agent of alienation - the tearing apart of relationships - but an agent of reconciliation - restoring relationships. If I choose to be a reconciler, a peace-maker, I am taking on the nature of Christ in a damaged world. Being a peace-maker does not mean becoming a doormat for others to walk all over. It means surrendering my rights to those of a higher authority. It means that honouring God's name, and extending Christ's fame in the earth, will mean more to me than getting my own way or defending my rights.
Prayer: 'Father, make me an agent of reconciliation in this world. Help me to heal the rifts between people, to restore relationships, to be a peace maker in a hurting world.'
© 2003-2004 Mal Fletcher
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I appreciated reading about the great visionary, Martin Luther King Jnr, in Daily Recharge...I'm an avid follower of Recharge, finding it to be a healing and refreshing meditation.
Kathy, United States
I am so thankful that I was directed towards Mal's article on Why Christian Minister's Fall. Thankyou, Mal, for such Godly insight & wisdom into how we should be reacting to such situations.
Amity, Australia
Thanks Mal for helping us see the US gun laws issue from an ethical perspective. Our right to possess guns (or any other right, for that matter) is surely insignificant when compared to our responsibility to preserve life.
Ann, Australia
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