How Can We Deepen Our Intimacy with Christ?

The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Christian Podcast

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7d ago 6:49

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What matters most when we show up to worship?
In “Relationships Matter to God,” we’re reminded that unresolved conflict—especially in our closest relationships—matters deeply to God. In fact, Jesus said we should press pause on worship if we know someone has something against us. Why? Because our hearts, our humility, and our willingness to seek reconciliation are acts of worship too. One woman shares how God softened her heart during years of marriage struggles, leading her from resentment to grace—and from pride to peace.

Key Takeaways:

God prioritizes reconciliation over religious ritual
We can’t truly worship when bitterness is brewing
Conflict often becomes destructive when left unprocessed
Christ calls us to deal with our emotions before they harden into contempt
Forgiveness is a gift we give to others and ourselves

📖 “First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” – Matthew 5:24, NIV

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When has God led you to reconcile before continuing with worship? How did that change your heart—or your relationship? Share your story using #GraceBeforeTheGift and tag @LifeAudioNetwork.

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Full Transcript Below:

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-24, NIV).

As someone navigating through some challenging and confusing relationships, this passage brings me comfort. While it doesn’t guarantee reconciliation, or a life filled with deep, safe, and fulfilling connections—even when I actively pursue such things—it does assure me that my relationships matter to God. In fact, they matter more to Him than my Sunday morning worship and my most generous and sacrificial tithe.

This was a message He often conveyed to me, back when I was a relatively new and extremely immature wife and Christ-follower who’d spent years learning to hold grudges rather than choosing to forgive. Back then, it seemed like my husband and I were always fighting about something. Sadly, in our selfishness and pride, we often cared more about winning an argument than investing in the health of our marriage. If not for God’s gentle, but steady, intervention, we probably would’ve divorced before our daughter’s fifth birthday.

Instead, the Lord nudged me to abandon my childish desire to prove myself right—getting my husband to admit to this, of course, with ample apology—and to choose gentle, gracious love instead. In short, to fight for our marriage, rather than against it.

This often occurred during church. I’d walk into the sanctuary frustrated, ruminating on some perceived injustice, expecting my husband to bridge the gap our anger had created between us. But then, inevitably, once the music started and I began to sing God’s praises, I’d sense Him softening my heart by allowing me to see my husband’s. As I sat in the Lord’s presence, He slowly replaced my bitterness and resentment with compassion and grace. In short, He brought a holy perspective to my otherwise selfish and deceived mind, while reminding me of times when I’d behaved in a similar fashion.

I find it challenging to remain upset with someone for hurting me in the same way I have them or someone else. Not only does this holy realization remind me of God’s mercy toward me, for a lifetime of thoughtless acts. But in that space, I’m also more apt to recall the reasons behind my past behaviors, which helps me view theirs with more curiosity and understanding and less contempt.

The Lord’s love, for me and my husband, and our relationship—elevates my view, helping me to respond to conflict less like a wounded toddler prone to lashing out and more like the mature, Spirit-led adult I am, by God’s grace, becoming. While this might feel like “losing” in the moment, it positions me to win in the ways that matter most.

Living this way also helps me avoid the sting of regret that comes when we feed and unleash, rather than prayerfully process, our anger and make the situation worse, potentially irreparably so.

This seems to be Christ’s warning in His words that follow. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court,” He said in verse 25. Otherwise, we might find ourselves hit with a heavy ruling, a verdict, we didn’t anticipate. Like relationships shattered over matters we could have, by God’s grace, resolved.

This is where I find His instructions in verses 21-22, where He equated hateful thoughts with murder, helpful. In this, He let us know that one doesn’t typically jump from offense to homicide. Most often, murder comes after someone’s hurt turns to a settled anger where they’ve rehashed the emotional blow, attaching other violations to it until they’ve amassed a long list of wrongs that vilify the “offender” while, typically, minimizing the ways they’ve caused the other person pain.

Intersecting Life and Faith

We experience the most peace, in our souls and relationships, when we learn to deal with our emotions before we begin to devalue the other person. That was the message Jesus conveyed when He warned us against calling others worthless (raca in the original Greek), or a fool. May we, God’s beloved, redeemed and empowered children never allow our anger to become so strong and unmitigated that we become unable to see the other person’s value as a human being created in the image of God.

I don’t mean to suggest this is easy. In fact, there are times when doing so will feel excruciatingly hard, if not impossible. But that’s when Jesus’s words at the beginning of the chapter can prove so helpful. When we remember that He sees our pain, every injustice we experience, and promises to reward our every obedient act, we feel less compelled to vindicate ourselves. We’re better able to trust Him to work all things for our good and His glory, and often, He does His most beautiful work in those very relationships we otherwise might have destroyed.

Because our God is for us—for our joy, peace and relational fulfilment.

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