The Daily: Wednesday July 22, 2026

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."  Matthew 5:23-24 

Faith Shows Up in How We Treat Each Other

It would be easy to read Jesus's teachings on anger, honesty, and how we see others as a list of moral improvements to work on privately. But look closer. Every single example He gives is relational. Every one of them is about how we are with each other. He pushes past the command not to murder and calls us toward reconciliation with the person we are angry with. He invites us to stop seeing others as objects and to start seeing them as human beings made in the image of God. He calls us to be the kind of people whose word can simply be trusted. This is not accidental.

Jesus is telling us something important: your faith is not primarily a private transaction between you and God. It is something that becomes real in the space between you and another person. That is both challenging and encouraging. It means your faith has somewhere to go. It has a place to land. Every relationship in your life is an opportunity to practice something true and good. The person who is difficult to love is not an obstacle to your spiritual growth. They may be the very place it happens. You are not alone in this. God is present in those moments, working in you and through you.

Reflection Question
Is there a relationship in your life right now where tension or distance has been allowed to linger, and what small step toward reconciliation might be possible this week?

Prayer
God, help me to see the people in my life as You see them. Give me the courage to move toward others rather than away, and let my faith become real in how I treat them. Amen.