Between “You and Him”—Gaining Your Brother - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

If your brother sins against you, go tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
Matthew 18:15

Between "You and Him"—Gaining Your Brother
Fellowship is mutual, and we need to use diligence "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3) if we are to enjoy it. "God is faithful" (1 Cor. 1:9), but sad to say, we often break down in the love we owe Him and each other.

In speaking about little children and lost sheep in Matthew 18, the Lord Jesus looks forward to the church in its local setting as our spiritual home in this world. But He knew difficulties would arise between us that would threaten the life of that "home," so He gives simple instructions on putting things right. But why does He expect the injured person to take the first step in doing this? Because if we have received grace upon grace from God (Jn. 1:16), we should be able to show grace to each other.

The Lord desires us to be "at peace" (1 Th. 5:13) as He has made "peace with God" for us (Rom. 5:1). A brother or sister may have really upset me, but we are "members one of another" (Rom. 12:5) and if God's love, "shed abroad in our hearts" (5:5 jnd), is active in me, I will want our relationship restored so that we can go on together for God's glory and our mutual blessing. Surely we can hear the words "you and me," elsewhere in Scripture, echoed in our Lord's words: "you and him."

And if my motive is to gain my brother, I will not speak about him to others as we so often do, but with him alone face to face. I will pray that Christ will speak through me so that I may gain him again without the need to take witnesses or to occupy the local gathering of the saints with our difficulty.

Simon Attwood