Many of us show up for a worship service Sunday after Sunday with no regard for how the rest of our life might impact that very moment. Sunday morning worship services are supposed to be an opportunity for people to experience God right? Well, what if you show up and God is not interested in having an experience with you? Could such a thing happen? According to the bible such a thing is very possible.
Matthew 5:23-24…23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (NIV)
According to this passage of scripture you and I have an obligation, to the best of our ability, to be reconciled to the people around us. This is a reminder to us that relationships are important to God and anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ should value relationships the same way.
That doesn’t mean that everyone will always like you or that you should spend your whole life trying to be a people pleaser. But… if you know that you have wronged someone, that your words have hurt someone, or that your behavior is offensive to someone, then you should do your best to be reconciled.
We can’t expect to show up for a worship service and expect to have an intimate experience with God when we know that we have neglected to repair a relationship that has been damaged.
So the questions for all of us is:
Is there anyone that we need to be reconciled with? If so, what can I do to help that process along?
Written by Larry Westfall. Copyright © Finding Wonder 2014.
