It’s A Heart Issue, Part 5, Matthew 5:23

Matthew 5:23 (NKJV): Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

Jesus starts to talk about coming and communing with God. He is leading into that we need to check our hearts as we approach God. Are we ready or is there some sin that can condemn us?

God does not want us to come before Him as blemished people. This is why He sent Jesus to take our place for what we deserved. Therefore, to be sure our hearts are cleansed, we need to ask for The Holy Spirit to check us.

When The Holy Spirit checks us, we may remember that we have something unresolved with someone. Remember what Paul wrote in Romans 12:18? “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

We should be motivated to do what we can to be sure that we are showing that we care about others. If we are to live at peace with others, whenever possible, we should be reflecting on our interactions with others. We need to be sure there is nothing unresolved. we need to ask if we have forgotten to ask for forgiveness or give forgiveness. We need to ask if we have any unpaid debts that we are not working on resolving.

With this statement Jesus started here with, He is exhorting us to make sure we are doing that check. This after He talked about being careful about having anger with someone. We need to start with asking Him if there is anything unresolved we need to deal with. We also can ask our accountability partners if they noticed anything. If we are unsure, we should ask those who we may feel we have something unresolved with.

Are you looking and asking if you have anything you need to resolve with others? Are yo being honest with yourself about this? Ask Jesus to keep you in check daily and fill you with conviction if you have anything unresolved.