Luke 12:48
“But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving
of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For
everyone to whom much is given, from
him much will be required;
and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask
the more.” NKJV
As we continue to shift to higher levels that get us closer
to our destinies, I hear the Lord saying that it is not business as usual for
the Body of Christ. We are called to walk in unity, and part of that involves
that we learn to manage ourselves in the area of relationships. When we know
that we have offended or hurt someone whether it was intended or not, the Bible
gives us a guideline for how to address those situations found in Matthew 5:24
which says,
“leave your gift there before the altar,
and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer
your gift.” NKJV
Another thing we are asked to do is confess our faults and
not try to hide things under the rug and pretend it did not affect the other
person in any way or think that they should just get over it and we get to move
on free to do the same wrong again to someone else if we want our prayers to be
heard. A mature person in Christ, not only spiritually, but emotionally, goes
to the person they know they have hurt or offended to reconcile, asking
forgiveness and even asking how can things be made better to improve their
relationship.
James 5:16 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and
pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of
a righteous man avails much.” NKJV
We are called to be our brother`s keepers. This entails that
we concern ourselves with the wellbeing and even the welfare of our fellow
believers so we do not become a stumbling block to them. This means that we
come outside of our self-centered boxes and concern ourselves with others and
what happens when we make choices that damage our relationship with them. One
important reason to take heed of this command is that we do not know if this
person would be in a position of helping us in the future, and if we
demonstrate an immature character towards them that does not care about how we treat
them and make them feel, we may be forfeiting the favor, grace, and the
opportunity to be helped by them when the time of need arrives.
Not in vain does the Word say that we are to do unto others
as we want others to do to us (Luke 6:31) We are also admonished in the Word to
be mindful of the seeds we sow because it will be exactly what we will harvest
when the fullness of time comes. Maturity for the things of the Spirit makes it
necessary for us to be aware of what we do and say, and even what we think of
others because the Bible says that we are to think more highly of others than
we do ourselves in the true spirit of humility (Philippians 2:3).
Even Job’s friends found themselves having to make
restitution for the words they spoke against God and against him. God sent them
to make things right and help Job be restored double fold after the intense process He went
through in order for God to entrust him with more of the riches and prosperity
of the Kingdom. But because his friends had spoken fault finding words and even
accused him of being in sin and not doing enough to come out of the pit he
presumably had put himself in, when the time came for God to bring Job in to
his season of restoration, He used those who hurt and falsely accused him to
help him be restored (See Job 42).
Therefore, being able to go back and express our sincere
apology to those we have wronged is a sign of maturity for a believer and a way
for the Father to recognize that we are doing what His Word says. This way, we
can also be entrusted with more of the treasures of the Kingdom, and can
witness how He expands our territories because Heaven recognizes we care about
the relationships God entrusts us with. When we are mindful of other people’s
hearts and their advancement in their knowledge of God and of the ways of His
Kingdom because we are willing conduits that demonstrate the love of God to
them, we are counted among the true bride of Christ.
So let’s be the vessels created to receive the love of the
Father that we are to extend to others as we spend precious time of intimacy
with Him and continue to be transformed into His image and likeness. Thus, the
world around us can see that we are His children because we are known by our
love. To Him alone be all the Glory.▪
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