Reconciliation is Profitable
The Word of the Lord is all about relationship. We can see how our Father emphasizes loving Him and loving our brothers in all His teachings. In Matt 22:37-39, He says, “ Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Here, our Father is telling us to love Him first and foremost, above all things and, above all else, with intensity. THen He continues to tell us to love our neighbors also. In this passage God shows us His heart, His desire for His children — to care for one another, to live in harmony, to be one with each other, to be concerned for one another, to be happy with the success of a brother, to be a comfort to a brother or a sister who has lost a loved one. This is the very heartbeat of our Father—- to dwell together in the beauty of unity and love. Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”
Reconciliation is closely related to restoration. Our loving Father is reminding us in the Gospel today to check in every crevice of our hearts to see if we have wronged or hurt a brother; if we have spoken ill of a sister and wounded her deeply; if we have accused a brother and marred his reputation; or if we have unintentionally, with our words, broken the spirit of a sister.
Reconciliation is profitable! Let us approach our brothers or our sisters and let restoration take place! Let us strip our hearts of pride and shame. Let the humility of God renew the face of our hearts. With boldness, let us ask forgiveness for the wrong that we have done, and be reconciled with each other!
As we do this, we will see the change and feel the release in our spirits that has long been imprisoned within because of an unsettled issue with a brother. We will find relief from an inner burden that has hampered our growth spiritually, blocked our fellowship with our Savior, and has even delayed the blessings of the Lord for us. And as reconciliation takes place, we are restored! Blessings overflowing! And our joy in the Lord again complete!
So follow Matt 5:23-24: “If you are presenting your offering at the altar and there remember your brother has something against you, leave your offering there at the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
