“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:23,24).
TEXT — Matthew 5:23-25
Message
A British preacher and writer, Dr. F. E. Marsh, gave a message on the subject of reconciliation and was confronted by a young man who told him, “Pastor… I’ve stolen from my employer, and I’m ashamed to tell him about it… I have often talked to him about Christ, but he only laughs at me. In my work, expensive copper nails are used because they won’t rust in water. I’ve been taking some of them home… I’m afraid if I tell my boss what I’ve done and offer to pay for them, he’ll think I’m a hypocrite, and I’ll never be able to reach him for Christ. Yet, my conscience is bothered.”
Seeing the preacher again, he exclaimed, “Pastor, I’ve settled that matter and I’m so relieved.” “What happened when you told your boss?” asked the minister. “Oh, he looked at me intently and said, ‘George, I’ve always thought you were a hypocrite, but now I’m not so sure… Any religion that makes a man admit he’s been stealing… and offer to settle for them must be worth having.’“
Our focus is on the issue of forgiveness and reconciliation among sincere believers. No Christian should harbour unforgiving spirit in the heart because it is contrary to Christ’s teachings, which is anchored on love. When we refuse to forgive someone who has offended us, it is a clear manifestation of heart depravity. However, it is even trickier when we are the object of the scourge of unforgiving spirit, rendered as “…thy brother hath ought against thee…”
We are not excused from blame because the grudge is borne by someone else. The Bible commands that on the realization of such a grudge, we should “…leave there [our] gift before the altar…” and seek reconciliation first.
Thought for the day
Forgiveness is liberating; it releases a person from bondage.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
