 | Devotion 3 John Stott suggests the illustration Jesus uses in Matthew 5:23-24 can be modernised to read ‘If you are in church, in the middle of a service of worship, and you suddenly remember that your brother has a grievance against you, leave church at once and put it right. Do not wait till the service has ended. Seek out your brother and ask his forgiveness. First, go, then come. First, go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your worship to God.’ |
Today's thought from John Stott
Yet how seldom do we heed Christ’s call for immediacy of action! If murder is a horrible crime, malicious anger and insult are horrible too. And so is every deed, word, look or thought by which we hurt or offend our fellow human being. We need to be more sensitive about these evils. We must never allow an estrangement to remain, still less to grow. We must not delay to put it right. We must not even allow the sun to set on our anger. But *immediately*, as soon as we are conscious of a broken relationship, we must take the initiative to mend it, to apologize for the grievance we have caused, to pay the debt we have left unpaid, to make amends.
Lord Jesus, may I be a vessel of God’s grace given by the work of your power.
To you be glory in my life, in the church and in Christ Jesus, to all generations,
forever and ever. Amen.” (adapted from Ephesians 3: 7, 20)
To you be glory in my life, in the church and in Christ Jesus, to all generations,
forever and ever. Amen.” (adapted from Ephesians 3: 7, 20)
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