Matthew 5:23-24 states - (23) Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; (24) Leave there they gift before the altar , and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Many people have no problem showing respect and honor to the Word of God when it involves others as long as that person is above the board on what they have done to them. I'm not going to tell that person that I am sorry, unless they tell me they are sorry for what they have done to me. We miss what the Bible teaches us. We are to do what is right even when no one else wants to do what is right. We all quote the "Golden Rule" (Do unto others as we would have them do unto us) as long as it satisfies us in wanting someone else to treat us differently.
In pastoring, I have dealt with many people in 7 years and have watched them measure their level of commitment to something as long as the other people around them are doing the same amount. When I accepted the call of God some 20 years ago, I didn't begin to work for God from the first Sunday School Class in 1991 to my current position of Senior Pastor to compete with anyone else or say, "God I will serve you and do what you require me to do, if you make so and so do the same." However, when God calls me to do something it doesn't have anything to do with my brother, my sister, my spouse, my children, the guy across the street or any number of individuals that you can interject here. But God calls me to obey his word.
One portion of scripture that I watch so many have an issue doing their part without the other doing their part is in Ephesians 5:22-26.
Ephesians 5:22-26 - (22) Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (24) Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. (25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
Many of wives will argue that I will submit myself to my husband when he loves me like Christ the loves the church. Husbands will state, "I will love my wife when she submits to me and gives me the respect as the head of my home". The problem with this thinking the scripture is giving a command here to both, without provisions for one to follow only if the other does. The scripture doesn't state ~If, Wives Submit themselves to their husband, then the Husband should love their wives as Christ loves his church ~nor~ Wives submit themselves to their husbands, if the Husband loves his wife as Christ loves his church.
We want to judge our way we honor God's word by they way that others do things. We have the Noah syndrome. In Genesis it speaks of Noah's righteousness, but his righteousness was only measured by those around him. Put him in a different time and Noah wouldn't have been so righteous. We try to say, well, I'm better that so and so. Well, If you are not honoring God's word then you are no better than the other person who you are measuring your life and your obedience to God's word. We need to stop judging our relationship and obedience to God's Word based on other's obedience to the Word.
So before you say, I'm not gonna forgive that person until that person forgives me. God didn't say you forgive if that person forgives. He said, if you want me to forgive you, then you forgive others. I don't care how much love or lack there of, a husband offers to his wife, it is still God's command to her to submit to her husband. The same no matter how much the wife refused to to respect the husband and submit to him, he is still obligated to love her as Christ loved the church.
So the next time you try to measure your obedience to the Word of God based on what others obedience to the word is. "STOP!!!" Two Sinners Do Not Make A Saint....
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