RECONCILE WITH YOUR BROTHER!

RECONCILE WITH YOUR BROTHER!

Matt 5:23-24

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

          The movement of two opinions causes friction, heat and damage. We sometimes say that someone “rubs us the wrong way!” Such friction requires the oil of the Spirit which is readily available but so infrequently applied.

          The clear indication of Scripture is that we should not offer any gift to God while there is enmity between us and a brother. Some will quickly hang on to their anger by questioning whether or not someone who angers us so much could possibly be a “brother” but then we have added another dimension to the problem. What God wants is an unburdened heart.

          The word “reconciled” is found twice in Scripture. It is found here and again in First Corinthians 7:11 where it refers to a married couple reconciling after a fuss. In Matthew the Greek word is diallasso and it means “to change thoroughly!” In Corinthians it is the Greek katallasso and it means “to change mutually.” What God is suggesting is a mutual change in attitude one toward the other.

          We can’t presume to have plenty of time to nurse our grudge. Our life is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. What a tragedy it would be if we were to plan a reconciliation with an enemy only to die a few days before it actually took place! An even greater tragedy would be to plan to come to God only to die a few days before! The joy of reconciliation should not be withheld.

Dear Lord, let me reconcile with others so that I may reconcile with you. AMEN