I'm sorry, please forgive me... five words that can restore a friendship, save a relationship, and promote discipleship. Jesus did not have to utter these words, but His Spirit within us cries out when we've acted in a childish way and leads us to repent, to say, "I'm sorry", and to work to reconcile the situation. The question is, "do we respond when the Holy Spirit prompts us to apologize or do we continue to harbor that resentment?"
Let me confess to you today that I have been slow to respond and allowed myself to harbor some bitterness towards another school that has caused tension and created division. The Bible says, "we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body" - 1 Cor. 12:13. As Christians, we are all on the same team. Sure we can compete against other schools in sports and maintain a friendly rivalry, but our hearts and minds and faith should be, "As One!"
The apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:5, "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." No matter what school we represent, regardless of the color jersey we wear, those who are watching should have trouble telling Christians apart because how we act towards one another. Remember the song, "They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they'll know we are Christians by our love." Easy to sing, yet hard to live out. But, that's why Christ died, so we could, through the power of His resurrection, live a life of love.
And, love doesn't mean we always act like perfect angels, but it does mean we put God first, we serve others before ourselves, we are patient and kind and forgiving, and we apologize when we act childish...why, because we are one in Him and that's what our heavenly Father wants us to do.
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