Romans 5:10

NASB	NLT	VOICE
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.	10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.	10 If we were in the heat of combat with God when His Son reconciled us by laying down His life, then how much more will we be saved by Jesus’ resurrection life?

Think about the duality that Paul shares here. God rescued us when we have been in rebellion against his words and teachings. This rescue came with a heavy price, the death of his own son. He knew that we were struggling heavily with the evil forces of the world. So, God sent Jesus as the perfect spotless sacrifice to restore our relationship with God and to forgive us for the sinful behavior we endure. Through his sacrifice, we are made new. The sin in God’s eyes is forgiven and forgotten. The love, grace, and mercy of God shown in this act reminds us that we are given eternal life as a promise and a guarantee when we believe in him and follow his commands and teachings.

Romans 8:34

NASB	NLT	VOICE
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.	34 Who then will condemn us? No one – for Christ Jesus died for us and raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.	34 Who has the authority to condemn? Jesus the Anointed who died, but more importantly conquered death when He was raised to sit at the right hand of God where He pleads on our behalf.

Jesus is continuously advocating for us to God. Much Moses did in the Old Testament, interceding on behalf of the Israelites to prevent them from facing the wrath of God for their disobedience and rebellion. God has forgiven us. God has removed the sin, guilt, and shame. Satan is the one who continues to use these things against us. While we feel those things in light of our sin, Jesus is presenting these things to God and God is offering his forgiveness. When we start to reflect on our past, and things that we’re ashamed of and guilty of start to make themselves present in our consciences, Satan will use these things to beat us down. Satan will use these things as an igniter to prove that God does not love us, will not forgive us, is mad at us, and try to get us to separate away from God completely. This will feel all so real to us because of the divine authority, strength, and power that Satan has. We must remember that Satan uses his strength and power to rebel against God and to attack his followers. Remember that Jesus has been victorious over Satan and any attacks, no matter how painful physically, mentally, or spiritually, has been defeated by Jesus himself.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

NASB	NLT	VOICE
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,	18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.	18 All of this is a gift from our Creator God, who has pursued us and brought us into a restored and healthy relationship with Him through the Anointed. And He has given us the same mission, the ministry of reconciliation, to bring others back to Him.
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.	19 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.	19 It is central to our good news that God was in the Anointed making things right between Himself and the world. This means He does not hold their sins against them. But it also means He charges us to proclaim the message that heals and restores our broken relationships with God and each other.

God brings us back to himself (reconciles us) by blotting out our sins and making us right with him. Reconciled is the Greek noun katallagé (kat-al-lag-ay’). It comes from the Hebrew word that means to cover or atone. Reconciled often refers to the restoration of a relationship, typically referring to the restoration between God and humanity through Jesus. It’s the removal of the barrier of sin and the establishment of the peace of God.

When we trust in Christ, we’re no longer enemies of God. We’re not strangers or foreigners to him. We are a part of his family. We are his children. We have the privilege of encouraging our siblings in Christ to do the same. We are those, as Paul mentioned, tasked with reconciling people to God. We should want, yearn for, and encourage all of those around us to be in right relationship with our heavenly Father. It’s a difficult thing to do, but you might not be sure where to start. It can be shown through what you do and say, where people question why you’re being kinder and more compassionate than they’re used to being treated. It could open the door to why you’d believe in God or why you’d be kind just for God. The conversation can happen over the simplest things, or you could ask a friend if they believe, and if so or they don’t, why. Be open to hearing their perspective without judgment or correction. We don’t know people’s journey, but you can talk about your journey and maybe a different seed will be planted. We don’t know until we try.

Ephesians 2:3

NASB	NLT	VOICE
3 Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest.	3 All of us to live that way, following the passionate desire and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.	3 we were all guilty of falling headlong for the persuasive passions of this world; we all have had our fill of indulging the flesh and mind, obeying impulses to follow perverse thoughts motivated by dark powers. As a result, our natural inclination led us to be children or wrath, just like the rest of humankind.

The fact all of us commit some from sinful behavior proves that we are not perfect people, no matter how perfect we claim to be or how demanding our perfectionistic mindsets can be. We have God with our whole hearts, and we have not consistently loved our neighbors as ourselves. We can struggle to love ourselves. We struggle with our self-image. We struggle with anxiety and depression. We struggle with isolation. How can we love others if we can’t love ourselves? How can we love others when we’re unable to control our own sinful behavior? I believe the answer in all this lies in Jesus’ reprise of this command. Listen to this:

Jesus says to: LOVE OTHERS AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.

When we’re struggling to love others, we can find how to love ourselves through how Jesus loves us. We can love others in the way that Jesus loved us. Jesus stays by our sides at all times, being there for our wins and our struggles. He hears our concerns. He consoles us. He hears us. He guides us. He gives us advice. He provides for us. We can do all this for those around us. God calls us to care for his creation as he cares for us. The Holy Spirit will guide us, strengthen us, and give us the wisdom to do so.

Next slice in manna: Manna for the Mind #197