"From now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. (2 Corinthians 5:16-19 NIV)
I wanted to call this post, "Bad Things That Are Good With God."
I wanted to write about some realities of life that, on our own or apart from God, are “bad" but that with Him, are very, very good.
I needed a name of God to go with this concept, though, and while "Redeemer" got at the gist of it and is one of my all-time favorites, we've already visited this lovely name.
I started to think about how what's really involved in this "good-for-bad" scenario is an exchange. Which led me to dredge, from some deep recess of my mind, the phrase "the Great Exchange," which led me to the concept of reconciliation and, finally, to Reconciler.
In its original language, the word translated "reconcile" is "katallasso" and refers to an exchanging of coins. (I'm thinking of "reconciling" the books of a business to balance out what goes in and what goes out, money-wise.)
"Katallasso" denotes change, exchange, and alteration. From good to bad, for instance. From enemies to friends, for instance...of God, and of people made in His image.
God is the great Exchanger. God is the great Game-Changer.
In the hands of our Reconciler, a stronghold that strangles us is exchanged for a stronghold that saves us.
Ashes are exchanged for beauty.
Defeat is exchanged for victory.
Dependence on others or on ourselves—too heavy a burden for anyone—is exchanged for reliance on God, for whom nothing is too heavy.
Surrender in the sense of giving up is exchanged for surrender in the sense of coming entirely over to the side of Team God.
Losing is exchanged for finding.
Being cursed is exchanged for being a blessing.
Mourning is exchanged for dancing.
Poverty is exchanged for true wealth.
And in the greatest reconciliation of all, death is exchanged for life.
Beloved, the news here is really so much better than "out with the bad, in with the good." The exchange rate with God our Reconciler is nothing short of out with the bad, in with the best.
I wanted to call this post, "Bad Things That Are Good With God."
I wanted to write about some realities of life that, on our own or apart from God, are “bad" but that with Him, are very, very good.
I needed a name of God to go with this concept, though, and while "Redeemer" got at the gist of it and is one of my all-time favorites, we've already visited this lovely name.
I started to think about how what's really involved in this "good-for-bad" scenario is an exchange. Which led me to dredge, from some deep recess of my mind, the phrase "the Great Exchange," which led me to the concept of reconciliation and, finally, to Reconciler.
In its original language, the word translated "reconcile" is "katallasso" and refers to an exchanging of coins. (I'm thinking of "reconciling" the books of a business to balance out what goes in and what goes out, money-wise.)
"Katallasso" denotes change, exchange, and alteration. From good to bad, for instance. From enemies to friends, for instance...of God, and of people made in His image.
God is the great Exchanger. God is the great Game-Changer.
In the hands of our Reconciler, a stronghold that strangles us is exchanged for a stronghold that saves us.
Ashes are exchanged for beauty.
Defeat is exchanged for victory.
Dependence on others or on ourselves—too heavy a burden for anyone—is exchanged for reliance on God, for whom nothing is too heavy.
Surrender in the sense of giving up is exchanged for surrender in the sense of coming entirely over to the side of Team God.
Losing is exchanged for finding.
Being cursed is exchanged for being a blessing.
Mourning is exchanged for dancing.
Poverty is exchanged for true wealth.
And in the greatest reconciliation of all, death is exchanged for life.
Beloved, the news here is really so much better than "out with the bad, in with the good." The exchange rate with God our Reconciler is nothing short of out with the bad, in with the best.
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!