“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2nd Corinthians 5:18)

Two brothers lived on adjoining farms, but they had a deep quarrel. They had often shared their resources, but that practice stopped; and there was nothing left but bitterness. One morning a brother (we will call John) answered a knock at his door. It was a carpenter. The carpenter asked if there was any work to do.

John said that there was something he could do. He took the carpenter to where the two properties met and showed him how the other brother had taken a bulldozer and created a creek where the meadow used to be. John said, “I know he did this to make me angry. I want you to help me get even by building a big fence so I won’t have to see him or his property ever again.”

So the carpenter worked hard all day. When the carpenter reported back to him, John noticed there was no fence. The carpenter had used his skill and built a bridge over the creek instead of a fence. When John’s brother saw the bridge and was quite moved that his brother would do such a thing. The two brothers met in the middle and embraced. They saw the carpenter packing his tools and asked him to stay a while and do more work. The carpenter replied, “I’m sorry, but I have other bridges to build.” Does he have one to build in your life?

Reconciliation is simply building bridges to bring people back together. We Christians have received reconciliation through Christ building the bridge of the cross to bring people back to God. We have also been given the ministry of reconciliation to persuade men to come back to God.

As we begin a new year, are there any bridges you desperately need to build?

Bro Larry