So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Matthew 5:23-24
When it comes to conflict, issues in our families can be some of the hardest of all to heal.
High in the mountains of Nepal, Jagat is a follower of Jesus and an avid listener to the Christian radio station that reaches his community. He says he hasn’t missed a single episode of the short devotional program he loves because, as he puts it, “Every time I listen, I feel like it’s for me only.”
One day, a program hit so close to home that Jagat said it made him cry. “I had some issues with someone from my family,” he admitted. Jagat had been cheated by a relative. Ever since then, he’d avoided being around that relative. He said, “As a Christian I forgave that person but was not able to talk to him out of hurt.” As he listened to the devotional, Jagat said he learned that the Bible teaches that God not only wants us to forgive others as He has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32), but it’s all about restoration of relationship. It says that if you “ … remember that someone has something against you, leave your [worship of God]” and “go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and [worship God]” (Matthew 5:23-24 excerpted).
Jagat shared, “Hearing that God really wants us to take a step beyond forgiveness and reconcile with the person we have conflict with has really kept me thinking.” Like all of us, Jagat is learning how to live out relationships the Jesus way: “I haven’t gathered the strength to talk to the person yet,” he admits, “but I am on my way, and I know God will help me. Thank you so much for this program.”
You can help share with others like Jagat about God’s way for us to live in harmony. Send devotionals like this to millions around the world in their own languages. Give a gift today at guidelines.org.
