Bible Reading: Matthew 5:23-24
Imagine that you slice your hand on a knife while making a sandwich. What would happen if you neglected to wash out the wound? What would happen if you then went
immediately outside and stuck that wounded hand into the dirt?
That small cut would very likely become infected.
What if you still refused to wash that wound, leaving it to fester and the infection to grow?
You probably don’t even want to think about the consequences and pain that could be involved.
Now imagine that you have done something wrong, that you have emotionally hurt another person. Maybe you lied to someone or disobeyed your parents’ instructions. Maybe you said some hurtful words or told someone something untrue or hateful about someone else.
What will happen if you leave that “wound” unattended? What will happen if you refuse to seek forgiveness from the person that you’ve hurt and from God?
That emotional wound will fester and become an infected, painful sore spot in your relationship with that person and with God.
In Matthew 5:23 & 24 Jesus gave us these instructions: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” In other words, if you have hurt someone, go make things right with that person then come back to God and honor and worship Him.
If you have any emotional wounds in your life, why not clean them out right now. Go to God and ask for forgiveness. Ask Him to help you make things right. Then go to the person that you’ve hurt and ask for his or her forgiveness as well. When that is done, go back to God and worship and adore Him.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to clean this old wound before it becomes any more infected. In Jesus’ name. Amen.