Let’s Get It Together

Last week Pastor tackled a crucial, yet often misunderstood, aspect of the Christian experience-forgiveness.  After licking my wounds from last Wednesday’s REfresh, I was ready for a lesson that was easier to digest.  I wanted one of those ice cream and cupcake lessons.  But that’s not what I received.  I got an okra, rutabaga, and kale salad lesson.  Full of every nutrient that I need for my Christian walk but not as easy to swallow.   Pastor challenged our spiritual maturity concerning reconciliation.

Jesus came to earth on assignment.  His mission, His purpose, and His calling was to reconcile a sinful world with the perfect God.  Wednesday night’s Bible study came from Matthew 5:23-26.  In these verses, Jesus points us away from religion and toward relationship.  He establishes a priority that we would be wise to remember and live out.

As a practical example, Jesus says that if we’re on our way to lay offering at the altar and remember that we have offended someone, we should put our gift to the side of the altar and go reconcile with the person that we have offended.  Notice he does not qualify whether we were right in what we did to offend the person.  He just says that we should do what we can to resolve the problem.  It’s only then that we get back to the offering.  It’s not an either/or situation.  God wants our offerings on the altar AND a reconciled relationship with our fellow brothers and sisters.

But before we get to the part of reconciling and dealing with our brothers’ and sisters’ emotions, we have to address our own emotions first.  Even though I don’t often act on the negative thoughts that I have towards people, that does not mean the emotions don’t exist.  I can smile in someone’s face and wish they would go far, far away.  I mean, I do it all the time.  You wouldn’t know it, but God does.  And that’s the issue.  I have to take accountability for my wrong thoughts and get them to align with God wants for me.  When I acknowledge how off course I am, it makes it a little easier to extend grace to those that I have offended.  I said a little.  This is a marathon not a sprint for me.

One of the most poignant points brought forth in Bible study was that I need to lower myself like Jesus did.  Jesus was perfect.  He did no wrong.  Yet He lowered Himself to the point of death so that I could be reconciled with God.  So, who am I to not lower myself to those that I have offended?  OUCH!  Pastor eloquently stated that it’s not called being the bigger person when you reach out to ease your offenses.  It is truly a position of lowering yourself and serving your fellow man to bring peace to a fractured relationship.

Reconciliation does not mean that we hang out with each other all the time.  We don’t have to talk all night on the phone like schoolgirls either.  But we must be able to work together in the body of Christ without tension in the air.  Without hidden resentments and fake smiles.  That is the sign of true spiritual maturity.  It is an indication that we understand that Christ wasn’t about making sure church programs proceed without a hitch.  Christ was concerned about His people and establishing an opportunity for us to be reconciled to God.  We need to have that same priority.

I would be lying if I said that I got on my phone and dialed those that I know that I’ve offended.  I’m really being prayerful about my approach.  I want it to be sincere.  It will happen because I can’t claim to be Christ-like and continue in my stubborn ways.  I told ya’ll this wasn’t an ice cream and cupcake lesson.  But it’s necessary.  Let’s get it together.  #wepreach