Joel M Bradshaw

23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.–Matthew 5

 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18)

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:16a)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

1. Jesus saw nothing wrong with bringing an offering to worship.
2. But there was something more important than public worship in that moment.
3. Seeking to make things right with someone, being reconciled to them took priority in the mind of Jesus.
4. When you have sinned, own it promptly. In humility, ask for forgiveness. Offer an amends to the other person when appropriate to do so.
5. Own your sin, get help, and pursue appropriate accountability in your life.
6. When you have been sinned against, your ultimate goal is to show grace to the undeserving. To forgive as God has forgiven you.
7. In the recovery world, we say you can only “clean up your side of the street.” You never can control how the other person will receive it or what they will say. You can stay humble, though. All this changed my life and continues to do so.–JMB