WEEKLY DEVOTION Reconcile now, before it is too late!

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; fi rst be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” Matthew 5:23-26

Since the commandment against murder not only forbids the unjust taking of human life, but also forbids us to do or say anything which would unjustly cause hurt or harm to another, Jesus points out that true worship and service toward God is not just to come before Him with our worship and our gifts, or even with empty words of repentance. Rather, God would have us fi rst make right the wrongs we have done to others and be reconciled with them. If we are unwilling to repent of the evil that we have done and seek reconciliation with those we have hurt and harmed, neither will God be pleased with our offerings and worship.

Jesus goes on to say: “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” While this is certainly sound advice for one about to be taken to court, it has far greater import. The LORD God will be our judge on the Last Day, and everyone is on his way to this final judgment. The Scriptures say that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27).

Since we are all on our way to God’s fi nal judgment, would we want to have another pleading to God for righteous judgment against us because of the wrongs that we have done?

And, who will be our judge on the Last Day? The Scriptures clearly tell us that it will be the crucifi ed and risen Messiah, Jesus, the Son of God (cf. Rom. 8:34; 2 Cor. 5:10). Would we not also be wise to agree with Him along the way, acknowledge our utter sinfulness, and seek His mercy and forgiveness now before it is too late? After all, Christ Jesus came into the world and went to the cross to pay in full for our sins.

The Bible tells us: “ If we confess our sins [the Greek word translated ‘confess’ literally means to ‘say the thing’ with God, or agree with His judgment concerning our sin and guilt], he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

“Delay not, delay not, O sinner draw near, the waters of life are now flowing for thee. No price is demanded; the Savior is here; redemption is purchased, salvation is free … Delay not, delay not! The hour is at hand; the earth shall dissolve, and the heavens shall fade. The dead, small and great, in the Judgment shall stand; what pow’r, then, O sinner, shall lend thee its aid?” (The Lutheran Hymnal #278).

O gracious and merciful Father, forgive all my sins for the sake of Jesus and His blood shed for me on Calvary’s cross. Help me also to go to those I have hurt and wronged, seek their forgiveness and be reconciled. Amen.