Matthew 5:23-24 ESV So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
If we aren’t careful, we might be tempted to think God is interested in just our gifts, for we have been taught to not appear before Him empty and to honour him with our substance. Yet, as we read today, Jesus admonished that the gift should be left at the altar and not be presented until reconciliation had happened.
You can think of your heart as the tray that bears the gifts you bring. No matter what you serve, you cannot do so in a dirty plate. So one first washes the tray spotless before serving with it. Likewise, God first accepts an individual before he accepts their gift. It’s always the state of your heart first before what you bring.
Your gift, however generous, can be rejected because of the heart with which it was presented. Therefore, whether it is the gift of your time, or resources, the order is first your heart, then your gift.
#sly
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