Matthew 5:23-24 (NKJV) Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Loving those who have hurt us is not easy, especially those we have trusted but who have betrayed us. Our initial reaction after being hurt is often anger, sadness, and possibly disillusionment. Some people may even turn inward, refusing to discuss their pain and anguish. However, if we allow grudges to take root, we risk becoming resentful, hostile, and even vengeful over time. Meditating on the negative things will rob us of love, peace, and joy in our lives. If we fail to deal with our hurt and take the necessary step to forgive, we may even carry anger and bitterness to every relationship, thinking that this is how everyone treats us, making us unable to enjoy new friendships or relationships.
Jesus, through the passage above, reminds us to reconcile with the brother who has wronged us. We may find it challenging to receive the love of God if we do not handle human relationships well because our horizontal relationships with others and our vertical relationship with God affect each other. A good relationship with God is impossible if we have poor relationships with people. Therefore, we need to work on our horizontal relationships by reaching out for reconciliation as soon as possible. We should always strive to keep joy, love, and peace in our lives because this is the abundant life that God wants us to enjoy.
Living in a broken world means hurt, betrayal, offence, and abuse are inevitable. However, we need to recognise that our soul, in terms of our feelings, emotions, and mental health, will not prosper if we continually revisit the offences done to us. The wounds in our lives will remain raw. Instead, we should acknowledge that it has happened, and it has caused pain and hurt. When we do that, we tell ourselves that the pain has been dealt with and we will not revisit it. The healing process begins when we release our pain to God. We invite the Lord into our lives and bring the person and the incident before Him, and choose to release the person through forgiveness. We may not even need to meet with the person, but by inviting God into our lives, we seek His healing and restoration, and our soul will start to prosper again.
Even though we have been taught to reconcile with those who have hurt or offended us, we must accept that not everyone wants reconciliation. Nevertheless, forgiveness is still possible if we release the person rather than “imprison” them by holding grudges and resentment. Forgiveness removes the power that allows the past incident to torment us in the realm of the soul. Therefore, move beyond the hurt by forgiving, and keep no record of wrong.
Sermon Series: Prospering In All Things
跨越伤害
马太福音5:23-24 所以，你在祭坛前献礼物的时候，如果想起有弟兄对你不满，就该把礼物留在坛前，先去与他和解，然后再来献礼物。
去爱那些伤害过我们的人并不容易，特别是那些我们曾信任却背叛我们的人。受伤后的第一反应往往是愤怒、悲伤，甚至可能陷入失望。有些人会将自己封闭起来，不愿谈论内心的伤痛。但若任凭怨恨在心中扎根，久而久之我们就会变得苦毒、充满敌意，甚至生出报复的念头。沉溺于负面情绪会偷走我们生命中的爱、平安与喜乐。若不能妥善处理伤痛并选择饶恕，我们可能会带着愤怒与苦毒进入每段新关系，以为所有人都会这样对待我们，以致无法享受真挚的情谊。
主耶稣在这段经文中提醒我们，要与亏负我们的弟兄和好。若不能处理好人与人之间的关系，我们就难以领受上帝的爱——因为人与人的横向关系，和人与神的纵向关系是相互影响的。若与人的关系破裂，与神的美好相交也会受阻。因此我们要主动寻求和解，竭力保守生命中喜乐、仁爱与平安的泉源，这正是天父想要我们享受的丰盛生命。
在这个破碎的世界里，伤害、背叛、冒犯与不公在所难免。但我们必须明白：若不断反刍他人对我们的亏欠，我们的情感、情绪与心灵健康就难以复苏，生命中的伤口将永远无法结痂。正确的做法是承认伤害的发生，承认它带来的痛苦。当我们这样做时，就是在宣告这件事已经处理完毕，不必再反复纠缠。当我们把伤痛交托给神，邀请主进入这个领域，选择用饶恕释放对方时，医治就开始了——有时甚至不需要当面和解，只要邀请神动工，寻求祂的医治与修复，我们的心灵就能重新茁壮成长。
虽然圣经教导我们要主动与人和解，但也要明白：不是每个人都愿意重修于好。即便如此，我们依然可以选择饶恕，释放那个被我们囚禁在怨恨牢笼中的人。饶恕能斩断往事继续伤害我们心灵的能力。所以，用不计较的爱心跨越伤害吧，让一切亏欠都随风而逝。
讲章系列：凡事兴盛
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