Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for September 1

“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NLT)

From: September 1, 2014

Who has been given this message of reconciliation? Everyone who has been reconciled in Christ. The reconciled no longer evaluate others from a human point of view, based on outward differences of gender, ethnicity, or status. Those reconciled see only people of two spiritual conditions: those who have received the message, and those who have not. The reconciled have the most wonderful good news to tell those who are far from God. They feel called to organize their lives around obeying Christ’s command to bear witness of this message of reconciliation to the ends of the earth.

“Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart” (2 Corinthians 5:12)

From: September 1, 2012

My prayer as WCC’s pastor is not that our members would brag about our preaching, our band, or our building, but that they would boast of how the Lord is moving in our midst and changing hearts. We want to make Jesus famous, not ourselves.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21)

From: September 1, 2011

This is the great exchange. The Life took our death, so that we might have life. The Righteous One took our sin, so that we might become holy. The Son took the Father’s wrath that we might obtain God’s favor.