The Rebuild: Matthew 5-7Sample

Your heart is racing, blood rushes to your cheeks, your thoughts flood, your fists clench, and you’re about to explode. It’s their fault, it’s unfair, it’s hurtful and now it just got personal… you’re fuming.

Whether you go through the heat of the moment or hold a low-level grudge towards someone, Jesus has some words to say: reconcile and do it quickly.

Jesus addresses our prideful and stubborn hearts by commanding reconciliation. We are to:

1. Address and resolve the problem.
2. Do it quickly.
3. Do this with everyone, including our closest and often most difficult and personal relationships.

This command is like swimming upstream—it’s against our grain, it’s hard work, uncomfortable and unnatural. That’s the point! The difficulty of reconciliation shows the extent of God’s love to us, through His son, Jesus. Jesus reconciled us to God, and instead of anger, gave us forgiveness. As we struggle to live this out, we find hope in Jesus and His success in fulfilling this command.

Is there someone on your mind that you’ve always dismissed? Being secure in our loving Lord Jesus, let us delay no longer and pursue peace.

Today, ponder this: Reflect on the immense forgiveness you have received through Jesus Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind anyone you may currently be harbouring anger or resentment towards and write their names down on a piece of paper. Go through your list of names one by one, and pray out loud, “Because of the forgiveness I’ve received through Jesus, I choose to forgive______” As you speak each name, prayerfully decide how you will reconcile with them.