Reconciliation...

"Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."--Matthew 5:23-24.  This verse is building on the fact that we need to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees or in modern day legalists and this includes the area of reconciliation.

Reconciliation.  This concept of reconciliation is within the context of a broken relationship with your brother (or sister).  However, being angry with our brother is compared to murder.  Jesus develops a very eye opening discussion on how holding a grudge against our brother is equivalent to murder.

Have you ever encountered a situation where you were so angry with someone, even a brother or sister in Christ that you didn't think you could ever forgive them?  I have had personal experience with this and I have also witnessed it among those closest to me.  This kind of situation is an ugly situation to say the least.  And it is in these situations that reconciliation is crucial.  

Reconciliation.  Reconciliation involves more than just forgiveness.  Reconciliation involves restoring the relationship.  Granted while forgiveness can take place immediately, reconciliation or restoring the relationship can take a little longer but it must be done.

Reconciliation.  As we look at Matthew 5:21-26 as a whole we can glean that anger builds and if not resolved, it has dangerous and in the end eternal consequences.  Anger is put on the same plane as murder.  It is no secret that in many cases, anger has led to murder.  By the time we reach Matthew 5:23-24, we find that we are to be reconciled to our brother before we present our gift to God.

Reconciliation.  Scripture is littered with the fact that God wants us to have a unified front.  My question is how can we do this if we can't be reconciled to our own brethren?  We are all going to face judgment one day and I would hate for any one of us to be kept from eternity with God simply because we were too stubborn to go to our brother and restore the relationship.

Reconciliation.  Matthew 5:23-24 puts the responsibility on the one who has been sinned against, not the one who did the sinning.  Fact is, many times when we are wronged, the people who have wronged us have no idea that they have done so.  But by the same token, Matthew 5:23-24 tells us that if we are aware someone has something against us, we have a responsibility to do all we can to restore that relationship.  If we have done our part and the other still refuses to forgive and work on reconciling, that is between them and God.

Reconciliation.  So my encouragement to you tonight is this.  If you are angry with your brother or if you know your brother (or sister) is angry with you, go to that person or persons if necessary to do what you can to restore the relationship.  Don't let something like anger which in this context is equated to murder, keep you from spending eternity with Christ.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!