Did you know that our relationship with others effects our relationship with God and also effects our ability to discern His voice clearly. If you are walking in unforgiveness, bitterness or anything along those lines, then the Heavenly Father holds a bit of a grudge against you .. which effects your intimacy with Him.

Matthew 18:23-35 is the parable of the unforgiving debtor. Look especially at what Jesus says in verses 32-35

32. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
33. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'
34. And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
35. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.

God knows that people.. even fellow believers.. will sometimes commit trespasses against us. He knows that they will sometimes hurt us unfairly or treat us poorly. Yet He expects us to FORGIVE. In fact, Jesus addresses this again in Matthew 6:14-15, where He says

14. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus commanded us to forgive one another. He also commanded us to love one another in John 13:34-35

34. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

In fact, the Bible put's it very strongly.. it says if we are not walking in right relationship which our Christian brothers and sisters, it is evidence that we are not really His. Look at 1 John 4:20-21

20. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
21. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Forgiveness and loving one another are very important to God. So, if there are things in our heart that effect our ability to do this, these are areas that God is interested in talking to us about.

For some of us, it He merely needs to make us aware that there is an area of unforgiveness or resentment or an issue that effects our relationships with others. For others of us, He has to bring conviction for selfish motives/goals. For others He has to bring healing for to past hurts that effect how we relate to people today. For others He has to make them secure in His own love for them so that they will be able to love.

Did you know that God commanded us to love ourselves a well as to love others? Look at Matt 22:37-40

37. Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
38. This is the first and greatest commandment.
39. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.'
40. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Did you catch it.. verse 39? We are to love our neighbor "as yourself". This implies that God expects us to love ourselves (because He first loved us). Sometimes individuals cannot forgive or love others because they have so many hurts that keep them from forgiving and loving themselves.. for some of you, the Lord is going to begin a process this week of healing and wellness that will free you to receive His love, to accept yourself and to love others. Note that I said "begin".. you see, a process like this takes time.. and God is seldom in a hurry when it comes to developing His character in us.

Some of you already know that you need to work on forgiving certain people. Some of you believe that you are already walking in love and forgiveness. You may be right, or there may be blind spots that elude you. This week, we are going to prayerfully examine this area of our lives with the Lord. We are going to invite Him to point out any areas that need to be addressed and to also point out the areas in our lives where we are doing well in this area.

You may be in for some surprises.. some of you may expect to get "clobbered" as you prayerfully explore this area of your life with the Lord. But you may end up finding His healing and comfort and support and love instead. God is usually very patient and loving and gentle when we are open to exploring this area of our lives with Him. His goal is not to punish or rebuke us if we fall short, but to transform us and to empower us to walk in His love and forgiveness, and to give us good relationship with our brothern and with those who God has put in authority over us.