Hennie Symington

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 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 men’s sin against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

One of the pillars of our Christian belief is the concept of reconciliation. However, after more than two thousand years since the birth of Christ, the world has not come any closer to establishing complete and permanent reconciliation with our neighbours or fellow human beings. Yet, at the heart of our Christian belief lies the concept of personal relationships. Christ sums it up very clearly in the words: “Love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).There’s no mistaking what Jesus says: He calls reconciliation by name and doesn’t beat around the bush about who your neighbour is. In these few words He covers the whole spectrum of relationships in which we as human beings could possibly be involved.

Now if this concept is difficult to understand or unacceptable to you, then you need a turnabout to either follow Jesus, or to follow your own stubborn heart, choosing to select your own “neighbours” and others that you find acceptable, thereby putting yourself between a rock and hard place or between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Reconciliation is non-negotiable in God’s Book. So strongly did He feel about this, that He sent his Son to die, in order to reconcile heaven and earth. The question to each one us is: What’s it going to be? Love God, but hate my neighbour, my enemy, anyone that doesn’t fit the category of “me, mine, and my own”? Or am I going to follow the summation of the ten commandments regardless of what it takes. So help me God!

Prayer: Lord, our natural instinct is to favour me and my own. How hard it is for us to think beyond our differences. But you did Lord. You left heaven to come to a world filled with sinners like me, and billions of others like me. Teach me every day what it means to humbly walk the second mile. Amen