¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (Matthew 18:15 ESV)

One of the most difficult things to do is to mention to a brother in the faith that they have done something wrong to you. Often we just let the situation slide, so they do not realize the wrong and may continue to do it over and over agin. There is no avenue for growth on our side or theirs and in doing so en enmity may begin to set up between us.

How much better that we address the wrong. By confronting them, in love, we may avoid a lot of future pain. Furthermore, our brother or sister is given the chance to grow and learn.

But what if they do not accept our rebuttal for their action? Well, read on, the scripture in Matthew provides a detailed plan for addressing this. But the central point is that we retain or build a friendship into something akin to a brother, not that we simply let it go and allow it to fester or worse yet die.

There is so much practical advice like this contained in scripture. Mining the depths of this wisdom can help us avoid a lot of difficulty in life. Especially when it comes to our faith based relationships or relationships in family and community. We can learn a better way to live and be reconciled with those around us.

To be reconciled is far better than losing a friend.