16 Sep 2014
Matthew 5:23-24
Matthew 5:23: “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
It is a foolish thing to try to draw close to God while you hurt those around you. The book of I John said it very plainly: you cannot love God while you hate your brother. If you love God then you will love the brethren; if you do not love them then you do not love God either. The two go together.
Now, there are times when anger is appropriate. In the Bible there were numerous occasions where God was angry. There will also be times when people take steps that sever our relationship with them. It will not be possible to be on good terms with everyone all the time.
But what this is saying is that if we’ve done something bad to those around us – if we’ve done something wrong, or have hurt others, or have been evil – then we need to make it right. We can’t be an evil, hateful person and expect our relationship with God to be fine. We have to make it right. In fact, God is not going to accept your gifts until you’ve made it right. Your wicked treatment of those around you has a big impact on your relationship with God.
There may be a time when it is impossible to make it right – for example, the person you have wronged might be dead. You obviously cannot mend a relationship with a dead person. However, we do have a responsibility for seeking forgiveness whenever it is possible. God cares about the way we treat other people in our life, and if you have acted cruelly to those around you then He is not going to turn a blind eye to that.