Copied From Our Daily Bread
2012-05-10 Apologies
— by Anne Cetas
Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les
Lamborn
Read : Matthew
5 : 21 - 26
5:21 Ye have heard that it was
said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall
be in danger of the judgment: by: or, to
5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with
his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever
shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Raca: that is,
Vain fellow
5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar,
and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go
thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou
art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the
judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
5:26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means
come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
If you . . .
remember that your brother has something against you, . . . first be reconciled
to your brother. —Matthew
5:23-24
Bible in a Year : Nehemiah
10-13
Mark messed up. He arrived an hour late at a restaurant where he was to
meet a friend from church. The friend had already left.
Feeling sorry about his mistake, Mark purchased a gift certificate from
the restaurant and stopped at a local card shop to search for an apology card.
Among hundreds of cards, he was surprised to find only a few “sorry for my
actions” cards in an obscure part of the store.
He purchased one and gave it to his friend who accepted his apology.
Although apology cards may not be popular, apologies are frequently needed
in our relationships.
Apologizing is a biblical action.
Jesus instructed His followers to make
things right with those we’ve offended (Matthew 5 : 23 - 24);
Matthew 18 : 15 - 20.
18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass
against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall
hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with
thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word
may be established.
18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it
unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as
an heathen man and a publican.
18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.
18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall
agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for
them of my Father which is in heaven.
And the apostle Paul said, “If it is possible, as much as
depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom. 12:18).
Living at peace may require apologies.
Apologies can be hard to make because it takes a spirit of humility to
admit our mistake, which may not come naturally for us.
But taking responsibility for how we were wrong in a situation can bring
healing and restoration to a relationship.
Have you messed up? Swallow your pride and make the first move—even if you
can’t find a card to help you say it.
Whenever you offend a friend,
Apologize and make things right;
For if you will admit your wrong,
You may avoid a needless fight. —Sper
The best way to get the last word is to
apologize.
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