"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22 KJV)
"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude "Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude "Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude" (PSALM 32:1-7 NLT)
As I pondering all the different things that are being shown, in the passage above from Hebrews, it made me think about how important it is that we make every effort to love and forgive one another, even if it might not be our fault; just the thought of neglecting to make the effort, to reconcile your issue, is technically a sin on your part. I know that might not seem right in the eyes of some, but Jesus made this perfectly clear, saying, ""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 NLT)
I know it might not seem like much to worry about, to some; but as we saw yesterday, every part of the body is just that: Part of the Body of Christ! We must love one another, no matter what! We all have all kinds of things wrong with us, in one way or another; there are none of us that are perfect, none of us can avoid being offended or even have the power to forgive others as we should. That kind of power can only come from us being submitted to the Holy Spirit and by forgetting about our own needs, putting the need to serve others first!
Not that I am any better than anyone else, because I have some of the worst ways to offend and cause people grief. I try to blame it on the pressure and the circumstances of my life; when instead, I should be rejoicing that I am forgiven and have things much more wonderful to look forwards to!
This might not seem perfectly correct in the eyes of some, but sometimes we might think someone has something against us, but they don't even know it, nor is it even true. Just us thinking it is so, is more than enough reason to bring it up with them; even by just apologizing for thinking they were. You can't even imagine what kind of things we sometimes think, when we feel like we know what is going on in the hearts and minds of others, when we can't even control everything going on in our own...
"The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathways for your life. I will advise you and watch oner you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control." Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD. So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!" (PSALM 32:8-11 NLT)
