I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 9th of March, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in the Gospel of Matthew 5:23-24:

"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." 

This is a tough one, folks, it's a tough one. I can hear someone saying, "But it is not my fault. I have nothing against that person. Why must I go and reconcile with him or her when I have got nothing against them?" It's actually for your own sake that you have to do that because that situation is eating you up inside. Did Jesus do anything wrong for Him to be crucified? 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." 
John 3:16

Jesus died for you and me while we were still sinners. Our Heavenly Father sent His Son down from Heaven to Earth and said to Him, "Go and sort it out." Now, in order to have peace in our own hearts, we have to deal with the situation, and I can hear somebody saying right now, "But what happens if that person will not forgive me?" There is nothing that you can do about it, but you can walk away knowing that you have been obedient to what God has told you to do. Even though you have got nothing against that person but you know that they have something against you, go and say, "Let's settle this thing. I am sorry for hurting you." You are not sorry for what you have done because you haven't done anything, but you are sorry for hurting them and trust and pray that they will accept your forgiveness and that they will walk with you again because that is where freedom comes, otherwise, the devil keeps on every time you want to do something, he says, "But that brother of yours has got something against you."

Folks, I have had to deal with this situation not once - many, many times in my life, especially with the work that I am doing. I can't please people all the time. I have got to please God and when God says I must do something I must do it, because if I am trying to please everybody, I can't speak. 

Now today, hear what the Lord is saying to you, leave your gift at the altar and go and reconcile, go and make up with your loved one, and often it is in the family, isn't it? No, it is not somebody way up there, because they can't affect you, it's somebody very close to home. It happened in the Bible, time and time again. We need to learn from our mistakes, then we will have peace in our hearts.

Jesus bless you and goodbye.