Living as Reconciled: Making Christ Our Chief Pursuit
There's something profound about understanding where you truly belong. Imagine being a crippled outcast, hidden away in a barren wasteland, living under the shadow of your family's fallen legacy. You're suddenly summoned to the king's palace, expecting execution, only to hear words you never imagined: "Do not fear. I will surely show you loving kindness."
This is the story of Mephibosheth from 2 Samuel 9—a man who came as an enemy but was treated as a son, who anticipated death but received a permanent seat at the king's table. Every meal became a testimony of living grace. Every interaction with the king reminded him that his life had been completely transformed, not by his merit, but by the king's mercy.
This ancient story mirrors a deeper spiritual reality for everyone who has encountered Christ. When God reconciles us to Himself, everything changes. But the question remains: If the King has truly reconciled you, called you by name, and welcomed you as His own, what should become the defining aim of your life?
The Pursuit That Makes Sense
In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, we encounter a startling declaration: "Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."
The logic is inescapable. Because earthly life is temporary and resurrection life is certain, because we will be at home with the Lord and all of life is lived before His face, making Christ pleased should be the governing ambition of our lives. This isn't passive Christianity—it's a conscious, earnest ambition, a cherished priority pursued with vigor and intentionality.
Think about it, we already order our lives around what we believe matters most. Career goals shape our schedules. Financial goals shape our discipline. Personal aspirations shape our habits. Everyone is living for something. The question is whether that something can actually hold us beyond this life.
Success cannot forgive you. Approval won't carry you past death. Security in temporal things can crumble tomorrow. Autonomy demands more than it gives. But Christ alone reconciles. Christ alone covers sin. Christ alone defeats death. Christ alone promises resurrection. And Christ alone gives a verdict that stands before the judgment seat.
If Christ has reconciled you, then Christ alone is worthy of being the one you aim to please. Anything less may be familiar, but it cannot hold you—not in this life, not in judgment, and not in eternity.
A Transformed Perspective and Identity
Reconciliation doesn't just change our destination; it transforms our vision. Second Corinthians 5:16-17 declares: "Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh... Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
There's a twofold transformation happening here. First, our perspective changes. We no longer see people through merely human eyes—evaluating them by worldly standards, viewing them through the lens of human ingenuity. Instead, we begin to see people as objects of God's affection. Those outside of Christ become souls who desperately need the gospel. Those within the body become brothers and sisters to be loved.
Second, our identity is radically recreated. God doesn't simply make bad people better or even good people greater. He makes dead people alive. This isn't renovation; it's resurrection. Just as God spoke the worlds into existence from nothing, He creates something entirely new in the person who trusts in Christ.
This new creation comes with new affections—things that draw us, compel us, and pull us in directions we never imagined before. The old sinful life, though its effects may linger, has passed away in God's eyes. We have forsaken that former existence, and all things have become new.
First John beautifully illustrates what this transformed life looks like: new character traits, genuine love, changed behavior, transformed attitudes. The test of time reveals whose we really are. While anyone can feign religious piety temporarily, authentic faith produces lasting transformation.
Ambassadors of Reconciliation
But reconciliation isn't just personal—it's missional. Second Corinthians 5:18-21 entrusts believers with an extraordinary responsibility: "God... has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation... Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."
Being a Christian is like a divine game of tag. Once you're tagged by grace, you become part of the team seeking to tag others with the good news. There are no sideline Christians in God's kingdom. Every believer is an ambassador, whether they embrace that role or not.
This means how each of us lives individually affects how the world perceives Christ collectively. We all bear His name. The ministry of reconciliation combines our evangelistic efforts with the tonality and tenor of our lives—everything about us should invite people to be reconciled to Christ.
The urgency of this message stems from its foundation: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Christ, who was perfectly sinless, took on our sin—not just our bad deeds, but the inward evilness of our hearts—so that we might be reconciled to God.
This is far greater than any act of human charity or benevolence. While we rightly applaud good Samaritans and generous acts of kindness, the reconciliation Christ accomplished towers above them all. He transformed enemies into sons and daughters, giving us permanent seats at the King's table.
The Practical Question
So what does this mean practically? What priorities in your life need rearranging to make space for pursuing Christ? What things might you need to release so you can pursue Him with more clarity, zeal, and vigor?
We naturally organize our lives around what's important to us. The question is whether Christ holds that central position. Are there habits to adjust, schedules to rearrange, commitments to reconsider—all so that He might have preeminence?
The reconciled life isn't one of passive gratitude but active pursuit. It's waking up each day remembering you have a seat at the King's table, not because you earned it, but because He called you by name. And in response to that unfathomable grace, you make it your aim—your deliberate, intentional, vigorous aim—to live for Him who died for you and rose again.
This is the story of Mephibosheth from 2 Samuel 9—a man who came as an enemy but was treated as a son, who anticipated death but received a permanent seat at the king's table. Every meal became a testimony of living grace. Every interaction with the king reminded him that his life had been completely transformed, not by his merit, but by the king's mercy.
This ancient story mirrors a deeper spiritual reality for everyone who has encountered Christ. When God reconciles us to Himself, everything changes. But the question remains: If the King has truly reconciled you, called you by name, and welcomed you as His own, what should become the defining aim of your life?
The Pursuit That Makes Sense
In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, we encounter a startling declaration: "Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well-pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."
The logic is inescapable. Because earthly life is temporary and resurrection life is certain, because we will be at home with the Lord and all of life is lived before His face, making Christ pleased should be the governing ambition of our lives. This isn't passive Christianity—it's a conscious, earnest ambition, a cherished priority pursued with vigor and intentionality.
Think about it, we already order our lives around what we believe matters most. Career goals shape our schedules. Financial goals shape our discipline. Personal aspirations shape our habits. Everyone is living for something. The question is whether that something can actually hold us beyond this life.
Success cannot forgive you. Approval won't carry you past death. Security in temporal things can crumble tomorrow. Autonomy demands more than it gives. But Christ alone reconciles. Christ alone covers sin. Christ alone defeats death. Christ alone promises resurrection. And Christ alone gives a verdict that stands before the judgment seat.
If Christ has reconciled you, then Christ alone is worthy of being the one you aim to please. Anything less may be familiar, but it cannot hold you—not in this life, not in judgment, and not in eternity.
A Transformed Perspective and Identity
Reconciliation doesn't just change our destination; it transforms our vision. Second Corinthians 5:16-17 declares: "Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh... Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
There's a twofold transformation happening here. First, our perspective changes. We no longer see people through merely human eyes—evaluating them by worldly standards, viewing them through the lens of human ingenuity. Instead, we begin to see people as objects of God's affection. Those outside of Christ become souls who desperately need the gospel. Those within the body become brothers and sisters to be loved.
Second, our identity is radically recreated. God doesn't simply make bad people better or even good people greater. He makes dead people alive. This isn't renovation; it's resurrection. Just as God spoke the worlds into existence from nothing, He creates something entirely new in the person who trusts in Christ.
This new creation comes with new affections—things that draw us, compel us, and pull us in directions we never imagined before. The old sinful life, though its effects may linger, has passed away in God's eyes. We have forsaken that former existence, and all things have become new.
First John beautifully illustrates what this transformed life looks like: new character traits, genuine love, changed behavior, transformed attitudes. The test of time reveals whose we really are. While anyone can feign religious piety temporarily, authentic faith produces lasting transformation.
Ambassadors of Reconciliation
But reconciliation isn't just personal—it's missional. Second Corinthians 5:18-21 entrusts believers with an extraordinary responsibility: "God... has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation... Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."
Being a Christian is like a divine game of tag. Once you're tagged by grace, you become part of the team seeking to tag others with the good news. There are no sideline Christians in God's kingdom. Every believer is an ambassador, whether they embrace that role or not.
This means how each of us lives individually affects how the world perceives Christ collectively. We all bear His name. The ministry of reconciliation combines our evangelistic efforts with the tonality and tenor of our lives—everything about us should invite people to be reconciled to Christ.
The urgency of this message stems from its foundation: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Christ, who was perfectly sinless, took on our sin—not just our bad deeds, but the inward evilness of our hearts—so that we might be reconciled to God.
This is far greater than any act of human charity or benevolence. While we rightly applaud good Samaritans and generous acts of kindness, the reconciliation Christ accomplished towers above them all. He transformed enemies into sons and daughters, giving us permanent seats at the King's table.
The Practical Question
So what does this mean practically? What priorities in your life need rearranging to make space for pursuing Christ? What things might you need to release so you can pursue Him with more clarity, zeal, and vigor?
We naturally organize our lives around what's important to us. The question is whether Christ holds that central position. Are there habits to adjust, schedules to rearrange, commitments to reconsider—all so that He might have preeminence?
The reconciled life isn't one of passive gratitude but active pursuit. It's waking up each day remembering you have a seat at the King's table, not because you earned it, but because He called you by name. And in response to that unfathomable grace, you make it your aim—your deliberate, intentional, vigorous aim—to live for Him who died for you and rose again.
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