By: Carole L. Haines
23 Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 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)
Have you ever betrayed a friend, or treated a family member horribly? I have, and when the Lord grabbed hold of my heart to reveal just how I made those people feel, I was crushed by the grief of my actions. God used this grief to help me seek out the people I had harmed and ask forgiveness. Many of them I found. Some were grateful as I sought forgiveness. Some blew it off as if I never hurt them, the rest I couldn’t find. But It was such a precious and humbling time of my life, as God revealed more and more. The fruit of that obedience to the Lord has been so bountiful for me. I have been so blessed, especially with a clean and clear conscience. I can honestly say that everyone God has revealed I needed to go to, I went to either by letter, email, or in person. It’s such a blessing to obey the Lord in this way. Jesus speaks about this,
23 Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 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)
I believe this call for reconciliation is at the core of the Heart of God. That is why He calls us to be like Him and reconcile with one another. God’s heart is demonstrated deeply in His love toward the people of Israel.
37 Behold, I am going to gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and have them live in safety. 38 They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 and I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts, so that they will not turn away from Me. 41 I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and all My soul. (Jeremiah 32:37-41)
If there are people you need to seek the forgiveness from, do it. Seek the Lord for timing, direction, and the words to say. Pray through the above passage in Matthew 5. The fruit of such obedience cannot be expressed in words. I have been so blessed and encouraged in the Lord. A clean conscience is a gift from God. Let’s imitate this Heart of God that seeks to reconcile us to Himself. He paid the ultimate price to bring about this restoration. Jesus died and rose again for this privilege of reconciling us to our Father God. The Heart of God can be seen best in Romans 5:8.
“8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Behold the Heart of God, obey the call of His heart to reconcile with others.
hisshadowings.com 