Do A Double Check

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

DO A DOUBLE CHECK

Matt 5:23-24

23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

NIV

In general, we do not bring an offering to the altar in the sense of how they did it in the Old Testament. However, although we are what would be considered New Testament or New Covenant times, Jesus is still talking to Jews who practice the ways according to the law. We know this because there were the money changers and those who sold doves, lambs, and whatever in the temple area when Jesus cleansed the temple. However, we do not offer such things at the altar, so how does this apply to us? We would have to think that when we put either our tithe or some offering in the collection plate, basket, bag, or whatever is used when whoever passes it around, we are, in a sense, offering our gift at the altar. This would mean that we had better not have any ill feelings whatsoever toward anyone when we drop that envelope or cash in the plate. However, sometimes we might feel a certain compulsion to tithe and simply must either write that check, or pay the cash, or whatever. We have to do it or we feel like we are either cheating God, or the church treasurer or secretary, or whoever counts and records the tithes and offerings will know we are slacking off or not being a very good member. But the problem is that we cannot have a single person who has anything against us. We have to be at peace with everyone in order for us to be in the right relationship with our Lord and have our offering be acceptable. Of course, the qualifier is that we first need to remember that a brother or sister has something against us. That is we should be aware that we offended someone. This implies that we cannot live in a little bubble and say or do whatever floats our boat. If someone gets offended, that is their problem, they should be a better Christian than that. Oh, how self-centered we can get, and do it with ease. But that is not the way of Christ. That is not the way of living with grace and love. We must always be aware of not offending, of not being offensive, and always thinking of others before ourselves. Then we would have nothing we would have to remember when we bring our tithe or offering. However, just in case, we should do a self-examination, a double check, before we bring any gift to God, just to make sure.