Our willingness to seek reconciliation with others shows God’s heart to them.

我们愿意与人和好，能让人看见上帝对他们的心意。

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19

这就是上帝在基督里叫世人与自己和好，不将他们的过犯归到他们身上，并且将这和好的道理托付了我们。-哥林多后书5章19节

Tham Dashu sensed something was missing in his life. So he started going to church—the same church his daughter attended. But they never went together. In earlier days, he had offended her, which drove a wedge between them. So, Tham would slip in when the singing started and leave promptly after the service ended.

谭大叔感到生活空虚，所以他开始上教会，而且是到他女儿去的那间教会。但他们父女从未一起出席，因为先前谭大叔伤害了他女儿，从此他们之间便出现一道难以弥补的伤痕。所以，谭大叔会在大家开始唱赞美诗的时候，悄悄地进去，并且在信息一结束就立刻离开。

Church members shared the gospel story with him, but Tham always politely rejected their invitation to put his faith in Jesus. Still, he kept coming to church.

弟兄姐妹和谭大叔分享福音，但当他们邀请他相信耶稣时，他总是温和地拒绝了。即使这样，他仍继续上教会。

One day Tham fell gravely ill. His daughter plucked up the courage and wrote him a letter. She shared how Christ had changed her life, and she sought reconciliation with her dad. That night, Tham put his faith in Jesus and the family was reconciled. A few days later, Tham died and entered into the presence of Jesus—at peace with God and his loved ones.

有一天，谭大叔患了重病，他女儿鼓起了勇气写信给他。她和父亲分享基督如何改变她的生命，而她也渴望与父亲和好。那天晚上，谭大叔做了决志祷告，一家人也打破僵局，彼此和好。几天后，谭大叔带着与上帝和家人的和好关系，毫无遗憾地离世，永远与耶稣同在。

The apostle Paul wrote that we are to “try to persuade others” about the truth of God’s love and forgiveness (2 Cor. 5:11). He said that it is “Christ’s love [that] compels us” to carry out His work of reconciliation (v. 14).

使徒保罗说，我们是“劝人”明白上帝的爱和饶恕的真理（哥林多后书5章11节），这是因为“基督的爱激励我们”（14节），让我们能继续劝人与上帝和好。

Our willingness to forgive may help others realize that God desires to reconcile us to Himself (v. 19). Would you lean on God’s strength to show them His love today?

我们若愿意宽恕人，便可藉此让人明白上帝也渴望我们与祂和好（19节）。你愿意倚靠上帝，宽恕他人，让他们明白上帝的爱吗？

Is there someone you need to try to reconcile with? What practical first step can you take today?

你需要与谁和好吗？

今天，你采取的第一步是什么？

2 Corinthians 5:11-21New International Version (NIV)

The Ministry of Reconciliation

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again,but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

整理：于姊妹