MAY 16, 2013
I’m
Sorry, Man
Read: Matthew
5:21-26
Be reconciled to your brother. —Matthew
5:24
When
my son-in-law Ewing and I attended a sporting event, we enjoyed
watching both
the game and the people around us.
One
of those people showed both the bad and good side of humanity. This man
had
apparently lost track of his seat. As he was looking for it, he stood squarely
between us and the field. A man sitting in front of us also had his view
blocked,
so he told the guy, “Could you move? We can’t see.”
The
lost man responded sarcastically, “Too bad.” A second request got a similar
but
more heated response. Finally the man moved on. Later came a surprise. He
returned and told the man he had blocked, “Hey, I’m sorry, man. I was upset
that
I couldn’t find my seat.” They shook hands and the incident ended well.
That
interaction made me think. As we go through life striving to find our way,
situations may frustrate us and cause us to respond to others in an
un-Christlike
way. If so, we must ask God to give us the courage to apologize
to those we have
offended. Our worship, according to Jesus, depends on it
(Matt. 5:23-24).
We
honor God when we make reconciliation with others a priority. After we have
been reconciled, we can then fully enjoy communion with our heavenly Father.
It’s not easy, Lord, to swallow our pride and ask
others to forgive us. But You want us to seek
reconciliation before worship can take place.
Help us to seek forgiveness when necessary.
Confession of sin is the soil in which forgiveness flourishes.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
