The First Word Principle - You will be the first person to hear about any problem I have with you.
Matthew 18:15 - “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend.”
So often today when people get hurt or offended, instead of forgiving and moving on, they choose to get other people involved in their painful situation. Instead of obeying the simple instruction of Jesus to go first to the person who offended you, they often go to friends or family members and talk about the offender. This only makes the situation worse because it complicates things by further alienating the offender and possibly creating many secondary offenses in the other people brought into the situation. When friends and family members hear about these offenses, they tend to get offended for the injured party. This could be avoided by simply obeying the scriptures and going only to the person who offended you. We’ve all heard the old saying, ‘Loose Lips Sink Ships.’ Loose lips also create breaches and alienate people. Therefore, we should do what Jesus said and be reconciled to our brother.
Question To Ponder:
Have you spoken to anyone else about this offense? Will you commit to go first to the person who has hurt or offended you?
