How to Settle Your Troubles

[Daily Devotional]

How to Settle Your Troubles 

     Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him
his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast
gained thy brother. Matt. 8:15.  

     We should carefully consider what is our relation to God and to one
another. We are continually sinning against God, but His mercy still follows
us; in love He bears with our perversities, our neglect, our ingratitude,
our disobedience. He never becomes impatient with us. We insult His mercy,
grieve His Holy Spirit, and do Him dishonor before men and angels, and yet
His compassions fail not. The thought of God's long-suffering to us should
make us forbearing to one another. How patiently should we bear with the
faults and errors of our brethren when we remember how great are our own
failings in the sight of God. How can we pray to our heavenly Father,
"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matt. 6:12) if we are . .
. exacting in our treatment of others? . . .  

     If you think your brother has injured you, go to him in kindness and
love, and you may come to an understanding and to reconciliation. . . . If
you succeed in settling the trouble you have gained your brother without
exposing his frailties, and the settlement between you has been the covering
of a multitude of sins from the observation of others. . . .  

     It takes special watchfulness to keep the affections alive and our
hearts in a condition where we shall be sensible of the good that exists in
the hearts of others. If we do not watch on this point, Satan will put his
jealousy into our souls; he will put his glasses before our eyes, that we
may see the actions of our brethren in a distorted light. Instead of looking
critically upon our brethren we should turn our eyes within, and be ready to
discover the objectionable traits of our own character. As we have a proper
realization of our own mistakes and failures, the mistakes of others will
sink into insignificance.  

     Satan is an accuser of the brethren. He is on the watch for every
error, no matter how small, that he may have something on which to found an
accusation. Keep off from Satan's side.

>From That I May Know Him - Page 181