DCLM Daily Manna Friday 5 January 2024
TOPIC: Our Ministry of Reconciliation
TEXT: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:11-15
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
12 For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.
13 For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
KEY VERSE
“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences”
(2 Corinthians 5:11).
DCLM Daily Manna Friday 5 January 2024 MESSAGE
People do not generally get committed to things or causes of life that they do not believe in or have any sense of value attached. Anyone who does anything or follows any course to which he is not truly committed only pays lip service to such and will soon abandon it when confronted with discouraging situations. Check it out; any cause that has ever enjoyed any measure of success and had made considerable impacts was because there were people who truly believed in it and so were ready to go all out for it.
READ DCLM Daily Manna Thursday 4 January 2024 – A Rebellious Accord
Paul’s commitment to reconciling sinners to Christ was borne out of his understanding of the value and worth of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice. His unforgettable Damascus Road encounter transformed his life and perception. There and then he cried, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” This statement implies absolute surrender, self-renunciation and readiness to abandon all else in favour of what his new Lord bids him do. Paul was committed to a lifelong and passionate pursuit of soul- winning. In our text, he challenges the Corinthian believers to recognise this call and get committed to it.
The Lord graciously saved us so that we can rescue those who are lost in sins and trespasses. He frowns at any act of idleness and indifference to this noble and urgent task. There is no better time to do the work than now when we have assorted platforms for reaching multitudes for Christ daily. Knowing the terror of the Lord (against unrepentant sinners), we must be fully persuaded to reach out to sinners.
However, if you must win others to Christ, you must be a genuine follower of the Lord. The task is urgent. Arise and commit your life to this most noble task.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The gospel is the only potent mechanism for settling the divine-human dispute.
