Oct 12 - Matthew 5:23-24

Jesus said,

"So when you are offering

your gift at the altar,

if you remember that

your brother or sister has

something against you,

leave your gift there

before the altar and go;

first be reconciled to

your brother or sister,

and then come and

offer your gift.

Matthew 5:23-24

Which is more important -- worship of God or reconciliation with man?

I'm guessing you know the answer. 

"The chief end of man," begins the Westminster Confession, "is to glorify God ..."

And here's the key, the heart of Jesus' meaning: Love of neighbor -- including forgiveness -- is part of loving God. Indeed, we can fully worship God until we reconcile with our neighbors. 

You knew that, right?

So ... who do you need to forgive before you can truly worship God?

Actually, let me add an incentive. The Westminster Confession adds four more words to what I wrote already ... "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever."

Now add that key piece of being human -- that chief end of man -- to my statement just before the last paragraph: "So ... who do you need to forgive before you can truly enjoy God."

You can't fully enjoy God, nor life, until you forgive others. It's hard. But you're the one in bondage until you forgive. You ... not the other person who may not even know they hurt you. You. Jesus sends you away from the altar as part of worship. He wants you to go and discover the key to greater joy and worship -- forgiveness. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wonders

if masochism is the

path to greater joy

(No! But the more I'm hurt,

the more I have to forgive.

And the more I forgive,

the more I get to enjoy God)