Murder starts in the Heart

 "You have heard it said of those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there you 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. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

            Matthew 5:21-26

    I love that throughout the gospels, there are moments when God uses parables to communicate with his followers, because they are not always ready to hear the truth he has to say in layman's' terms. But then there are times when he gets right to the point and does not mince words. We have probably all read or heard of the 10 commandments given to Moses on Mt Sinai back in the book of Exodus. Honor your Father and Mother, Remember the Sabbath, Worship God only, etc... And, like myself, you have probably come to the 6th commandment and thought to yourself, "Well, at least there is one commandment I will never break. Don't murder, check." Yet if we have ever been angry at anybody for any reason without cause, Jesus tells his followers that they are just as guilty in Heaven as someone who actually kills someone. Ouch. That hits a little closer to home. Have you ever been just straight up ticked at somebody for doing or saying something that offended you, or worse, did you get upset with them in your heart over a miscommunication that led to resentment and hatred for that person. Congratulations, you have just committed murder in your heart. Have you ever spoke down to someone, whether in jest or shame, and called someone a derogatory name? Boom, 6th commandment broken. 

    The flesh is prone to act out against a brother or sister in a way that tears them down, rather than build them up. But thanks be to God that we do not have to be defined by our past outbursts. By the grace of God, we can empty our hearts of all anger and hurt and replace them with traits of forgiveness and true repentance. But Jesus doesn't stop there. In this section from the Sermon on the Mount, He tells the people listening to not only turn from anger and receive God's grace and mercy, but to also reconcile our hearts with the people in our lives we know we have hurt. We must initiate the forgiveness in others so that when the time comes, they can forgive us our trespasses as the Father woks in them to do so. We must strive to live a life filled with second chances and a spirit of reconciliation, so that we don't bring any unresolved hurts into the kingdom of heaven. 

    As you go through your day-to-day routine, take some time to ask God to reveal to you people who you have hurt, or might be holding a grudge against you, then try to make the time to meet with that person and wave a flag of friendship and forgiveness. Sometimes, it is your heart that needs to forgive, sometimes, they need to know you are serious about moving on in order to begin their own process of healing with the Lord. It may be hard, and may involve you offer forgiveness, even if they aren't ready to reciprocate it, but that is ok. Don't do it just to make your flesh feel good, but because you know that God wants us to be peacemakers and grace givers, and we can't do that if we are carrying unforgiveness.

        Be slow to speak and slow to anger and be ready to reconcile with a fellow believer to bring about new life and a heart ready to receive all that God has for you. 

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey through the Sermon on the Mount.