Brief Devotions For Busy Lives" by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson: Matthew 18:15

 March 26

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother." -Jesus in Matthew 18:15 (RSV)

Repairing broken relationships is not easy. But remembering Jesus' teachings and seeing them working in our lives gives us hope. Our relationships with others can be restored because through it all, the Holy Spirit will stand by us and guide us. Yet when someone wrongs us, we often do the opposite of what Jesus recommends. We turn away in anger, hurt, or resentment. We may even seek revenge, or gossip. By contrast, Jesus says we should go to the person who has offended us and tell them first. The reason we need to go to them is often a person that has sinned against us or hurt us may not even aware of it. Being proactive will create a much better chance of restoring our relationships rather than retreating or isolating in our hurt or anger. However, we often find fixing objects easier than fixing relationships. When objects break, we usually become unhappy, frustrated or angry, and then motivated to fix it. The first two responses are usually brief if we value the object. In a short time, we are usually ready to find the tools to fix the problem.

We all need to remember relationships are of far more value than our material possessions. Only Jesus gives us the invaluable toolbox to fix broken relationships. Don't neglect to use it if you have been hurt yourself or wounded others with harsh words or actions. Yet words alone are not sufficient to take away the pain, even if we meant no harm. When we have been personally wounded or hurt others, we can turn to God’s toolbox in the Bible and find out how to use the tools of outreach, forgiveness, and repentance to fix and heal many broken relationships. While these tools may not work in all situations after we use them, we can rest in peace and leave the rest to God knowing we have done our best.

Prayer: God, Grant me courage to follow your instructions on how to heal any of my broken relationships. Amen.

Meditation For The Day: Satan breaks. God fixes.

Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Spring Renewal Paperback – February 21, 2017, by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson (Author)