Forgiving Others

Verse: 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. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. (Matt 5:23-26)

What father doesn't revel in the adoration of his children? Our Heavenly Father is no different. He loves for us to come to Him with our worship and praises. He also loves for us not to harbor hard feelings for our fellow brothers and sisters. Just as our Heavenly Father is quick to forgive us of our wrong doings he expects us to be just as quick to forgive others who have wronged us.

Our Fathers desire for justice is equaled only by his desire to show us mercy. If we are truly a child of his than we will be quick to show mercy to others. Once this has been done than we are free to continue on in unhindered relationships with both our fellow travelers and our Heavenly Father.

Prayer: Dear Lord help us to forgive others as you have forgiven us. You urge us to not let offenses to remain unresolved for long but to work them out as quickly as possible. Thank you for loving us and teaching us how to love others. In Jesus name- Amen.

Keeping Our Attitudes In Check

Verse: "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Matt 5:22 (KJV)

Just like a doctor often requires their patients to give themselves a self examination to keep their physical bodies in check, Jesus commands us to look at our lives to keep our spiritual lives and attitudes in line with God's holiness. Jesus says its not enough to not commit murder but even selfish anger should be avoided. A person does not act out violently all of a sudden. It starts with harboring bad feelings and attitudes.

Not only are we to watch our attitudes but also how we express them. The word "raca" loosely translates as "worthless". Jesus is saying we not even to call each other derogatory names. Think about it, how many times have you called someone "stupid" or "dumb" even in jest? Jesus says that when we treat others this way we are in danger of punishment. God wants us to treat each other with kindness and consideration in both our actions and our thoughts.

Prayer: Dear Lord- Help us to keep our attitudes in check and our lives as examples of your kindness and charity. Thank you for loving us. In Jesus name, Amen.