When the Message Becomes Flesh

Reconciliation begins where someone is willing to lean into the mess and gently restore what’s broken.

📚 Devotional Credit:

Excerpted from In Christ by E. Stanley Jones.

📸 Photo Credit:

Photo by Unsplash

E. Stanley Jones reminds us that reconciliation is not merely a message we speak—it is a ministry we embody. When Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5 that we’ve been entrusted with the “message of reconciliation,” he also points out that we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. And the difference between a message and a ministry is this: one can be spoken at arm’s length, while the other must be lived at heart’s length.

Reconciliation, then, is not something we talk about—it is something Christ lives through us. We are not merely bearers of truth, but vessels through which love suffers, stands in the gap, and brings together what the world has broken. This is no sterile peacekeeping, but incarnational grace—where we, like Christ, allow the hurts and hatreds of others to touch us, sometimes deeply, that He might reconcile through our presence.

Jones’s personal account of being named “Reconciler” by the Africans he served isn’t shared as a badge of pride, but as a weighty calling. It sent him to his knees because it mirrored Christ’s own name and mission. And that’s our calling, too. The Christian is a reconciler—not just a speaker of peace, but a bridge of peace. Not merely declaring forgiveness, but bearing its cost.

Real ministry always costs something. As one story illustrates, reconciliation could have been possible, but it would’ve required entering into another’s pain. The Christian, however, does not shy away from the wounds of the world but opens their heart, trusting Christ to do His reconciling work through them—even when it hurts.

📓 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture:

I have placed My reconciling life within you. The ministry you’ve been given is not a job to perform—it is a Person to release. I am the One who broke down the wall of hostility. I am the One who took the offense, bore the shame, and forgave in love. And now, I live in you to do the same.

When you encounter anger, I am your peace. When resentment flares, I remain gentle within you. When blame fills the air, I whisper mercy in your soul. Do not distance yourself from the pain of others—I will be your endurance in it. Do not fear being misunderstood—I was. Do not retreat from broken people—I entered their brokenness so they might be whole.

You were reconciled to Me through My death. Now I make My appeal through you—not in polished words, but in quiet surrender, in the ministry of presence, in the willingness to feel what others feel, and love them anyway. The message I gave you becomes living when you yield to Me.

Let your life be soft soil for peace to grow, and trust Me to be the Vine that connects the severed branches. I reconcile not only you to Myself—but you to others, through Myself.

Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 5:18–20; Ephesians 2:14–18; Colossians 1:19–22; Galatians 2:20; Romans 5:10–11; Philippians 2:1–8; John 17:20–23; Matthew 5:9; Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:18

🪞 Real-Life Analogy:

Imagine standing in a kitchen when a glass bowl slips from someone’s hands and shatters on the tile. Your instinct may be to step back to avoid the mess. But the bowl won’t be whole again unless someone stoops down into the shards, carefully gathering what’s broken and restoring it piece by piece.

This is what reconciliation looks like. Most people step back from relational messes. But those who know Christ’s indwelling life gently bend down with Him into the brokenness. Today, you may encounter someone who’s difficult, defensive, or hurting. Rather than pulling away or fixing them with words, pause and inwardly trust the Spirit within you: “Lord, I trust You to love through me in this moment. I yield to Your heart of peace.” Maybe it’s a conversation with a sibling, a tense moment at work, or lingering resentment in a marriage—whatever the situation, trust Him to reconcile through you, not by striving, but by abiding.

🙏 Prayer of Confidence:

Father, thank You that I am already reconciled to You through Christ and that You now entrust me with this sacred ministry of reconciliation. I do not bear it alone. You, Lord Jesus, are the reconciler, and You live in me. I trust You to be peace in me when I face conflict, to be patience in me when tension arises, and to be love through me where there is division. You have already supplied everything needed. I rest in Your sufficiency and yield to Your heart. Let my life be the message, and let the message become flesh again—this time, through me.