“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” – Matthew 5:23-24
History remembers Stephen A. Douglas as a senator from Illinois who fiercely debated Abraham Lincoln about slavery. But after Lincoln’s presidential victory, there was no better friend than Stephen.
Lincoln said of him, "He and I are about the best friends in the world." He was one of the strongest supporters of the early stages of Lincoln's presidency. He was given the honor of escorting Mrs. Lincoln to the inaugural grand ball. As the storm of the Civil War began to boil, many of Lincoln's friends left, but not Stephen. He amplified his loyalty by touring the South as Lincoln's peace ambassador. Be begged Southerners not to secede and Northerners to rally behind the president.
His efforts were great, but the wave of anger was greater. The country did divide, and civil war bloodied the nation. Lincoln's friend never lived to see it. He died three months after Lincoln's inauguration. He was a model of friendship and a model of reconciliation.
Are you estranged from anyone? Today in prayer, take the first steps of reconciliation. Confess any sin to the Lord, forgive any wrongs that others have done to you, and seek to have restored relationships that are centered on Jesus Christ.
“The number one problem in our world is alienation, rich versus poor, black versus white, labor versus management, conservative versus liberal, East versus West . . . But Christ came to bring about reconciliation and peace.” – Billy Graham
God’s Word: “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5:19
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