Broken relationships are one of the greatest pains and most difficult of circumstances to get over. There is something in human nature that intrinsically knows that relationships are meant to be long term and stable. While people often divorce on "good terms" there are few that don't leave a relationship without a great deal of pain.  Most human relationships are broken because someone did something wrong, or did some act to damage that relationship, or just behaved too selfishly.

 

Most of us who believe in God also know we have done wrong along the way. We know that we have somehow damaged our relationship with him by our actions. Human kind has for centuries tried to make up for those wrongs and try to restore that relationship We have performed religious exercises which include repeated prayer, fasting, penance, and in some cases deprivation and abuse the body.

 

Jesus came with the good news that all of that is unnecessary, and in fact useless. All we are asked to do in believe in him. As most Christians celebrate Easter this time of year, we also look at the cross where scripture tells us that the penalty and shame of sin is broken.

 

We are loved by God. We are accepted by God. All sin, evil, error, fault and shortcomings are abolished by the work he did as a sacrifice for sin.

 

I am OK. You are OK?  I don't thinks so.  We are only OK through the cross of Jesus Christ.

 

Ephesians 2:13-18

 

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.