| “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15 |
This verse speaks to us very pointedly of our relationship with God and our fellow-man. Jesus tells us that a judgmental and unforgiving spirit toward one another is indicative of a disrupted personal relationship with God. We are confronted with the uncomfortable fact that our fellowship with God is reflected as in a mirror by how we interact with our fellow-man. This “uncomfortable fact” is actually a Divine principle that governs our personal communion with God. Remember what John wrote:
“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” 1 John 4:20
|
Our Conduct Toward Our Brother Or Sister is a Mirror of Our Relationship With God.
|
Have you ever felt that you needed to improve your relationship with God? I certainly have! And that is what this lesson is all about. The most immediate way for us to have a better relationship with God, is to improve our relationships with those close to us: our wife or husband, our children, our parents, our brothers and sisters. And, let us not forget our relationship with God’s children... our Brothers and Sisters in our Church Family! Our relationship with God is reflected by how we treat those around us. |
Our text says, “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” When anger and/or resentment is residing in our heart, it becomes a barrier which alienates us, not only from the person towards whom it is directed, but also toward God. We may try to deny and ignore it’s presence, but there it is, rooted in fertile soil and ready to grow! God, in his wisdom, has given us clear instruction in how to resolve differences and misunderstandings... and thus work toward reconcilliation.
| Our relationship with one another, and with God, will suffer when we fail to follow his instructions for maintaining fellowship. |
If we reject Biblical instructions for nurturing relationships among ourselves, we need not be surprised when we find that we have lost the warmth and sweetness of the Lords’ near presence. The remedy for this is in recognizing and repenting of our faults, returning to, and implementing Biblical instruction in our life and relationships. As we improve and nurture the various relationships with those around us, we will experience a richer and more intimate relationship with our Lord.
URL: http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/eagreen