We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Paul describes his ministry—and that of his coworkers—to the Corinthian church as a “ministry of reconciliation.” Their work was simple—they preached Christ to others (“but we preach Christ crucified” [1 Corinthians 1:23]), and in the process their hope was that folks would be moved to change. In being moved to change, people would place their faith in Christ and thereby be in a right relationship with God. That was Paul’s purpose in a nutshell. Reconciliation can be difficult business. Considering it purely from a human perspective (that is, humans being reconciled to other humans), we each can likely tell stories of broken relationships and relational enmity. Because we are human and therefore imperfect because of a nature that is prone to sin, our relationships can be complicated, to say the least. Sometimes it is hard to get along. Sometimes the thought—the work!—of reconciliation is simply too much for us. It is of signal importance, however, that we strive to be people who mend relationships. First and foremost, we must ensure that our relationship with God is what it needs to be. That is not to say that we can achieve relational perfection with God on this side of eternity. Rather, we place our hope and trust in Christ, the one who breaks down hostility and enmity, and in so doing we enjoy a healthy spiritual bond with our great God. At the same time, we find a solid foundation upon which to begin the process of reconciliation with our earthly companions.
–Ricky