Settle Quickly (Devotional Day 12)
Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
Matthew 5:25-26:
"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
To be a peacemaker, to live in that place of prolonged happiness, indescribable joy, and perfect peace in the kingdom of God, settle quickly. That’s all that Jesus is saying. He is not saying that we should never go to court. Indeed there may be a time to take a stand for righteousness or for the rights of others or even your own rights if your attitude is right and God is leading you that way.
What Jesus is saying is that if you owe someone something, pay up quickly before they take you to court. If you don’t pay up, it will end badly, says Jesus.
Simple enough, right? And yet we are sometimes reluctant to pay off our debt. “I didn’t mean for that to happen…” Or “I didn’t mean to take advantage of you…I just borrowed more than I can repay right now…”
Whatever has happened – damaged property, slanderous accusations, unpaid loans, injuries due to your negligence – make it right sooner rather than later. Pay it off and be reconciled. Now. Or if you don’t have the money, set up a payment plan or sell some of your stuff or get a second job or do whatever you have to do to make it right and be reconciled. It might not be easy but God will help you through it.
As you do that, it will be as if a great load has been lifted from your shoulders. You will be moving from the middle of a conflict to a place of blessed happiness and peace as you become a peacemaker living in the kingdom and under the reign of God. He will help you make amends in ways you never thought of and he will give you the strength and perseverance to carry it through.
Maybe it doesn’t seem fair to you. Perhaps the debt isn’t yours entirely or maybe it is all a big misunderstanding that you have been blamed for. Pay it anyway. God understands and will help you. As you do, you will be following in His footsteps. After all, when Jesus picked up that cross and allowed Himself to be crucified on Cavalry’s hill, He wasn’t paying His debt, He was paying off the debt owed by you and me.
When you pay off something for someone else or go the extra mile to make something right, you are doing it as onto God and by doing so are walking in His footsteps. You are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, and by His grace you will share in His resurrection power and eternal rewards as well.
Pray with me: Father, I want to be like you, to be a child of God who is becoming more and more like you every day. Help me to be a peacemaker and to settle matters quickly, even if I am being unjustly treated. You endured the ultimate injustice and paid the ultimate debt when you gave your life to atone for the sins of the world – including mine – and I want to be like you, even if it costs me. Give me the grace and the patience to persevere in these situations I bring before you now…continue to pray and tell the Lord those situations where you need His help to be more like Him…
For further study: Click on the links below to find resources on being at peace with God and others.
Matthew 5:25-26:
"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
To be a peacemaker, to live in that place of prolonged happiness, indescribable joy, and perfect peace in the kingdom of God, settle quickly. That’s all that Jesus is saying. He is not saying that we should never go to court. Indeed there may be a time to take a stand for righteousness or for the rights of others or even your own rights if your attitude is right and God is leading you that way.
What Jesus is saying is that if you owe someone something, pay up quickly before they take you to court. If you don’t pay up, it will end badly, says Jesus.
Simple enough, right? And yet we are sometimes reluctant to pay off our debt. “I didn’t mean for that to happen…” Or “I didn’t mean to take advantage of you…I just borrowed more than I can repay right now…”
Whatever has happened – damaged property, slanderous accusations, unpaid loans, injuries due to your negligence – make it right sooner rather than later. Pay it off and be reconciled. Now. Or if you don’t have the money, set up a payment plan or sell some of your stuff or get a second job or do whatever you have to do to make it right and be reconciled. It might not be easy but God will help you through it.
As you do that, it will be as if a great load has been lifted from your shoulders. You will be moving from the middle of a conflict to a place of blessed happiness and peace as you become a peacemaker living in the kingdom and under the reign of God. He will help you make amends in ways you never thought of and he will give you the strength and perseverance to carry it through.
Maybe it doesn’t seem fair to you. Perhaps the debt isn’t yours entirely or maybe it is all a big misunderstanding that you have been blamed for. Pay it anyway. God understands and will help you. As you do, you will be following in His footsteps. After all, when Jesus picked up that cross and allowed Himself to be crucified on Cavalry’s hill, He wasn’t paying His debt, He was paying off the debt owed by you and me.
When you pay off something for someone else or go the extra mile to make something right, you are doing it as onto God and by doing so are walking in His footsteps. You are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, and by His grace you will share in His resurrection power and eternal rewards as well.
Pray with me: Father, I want to be like you, to be a child of God who is becoming more and more like you every day. Help me to be a peacemaker and to settle matters quickly, even if I am being unjustly treated. You endured the ultimate injustice and paid the ultimate debt when you gave your life to atone for the sins of the world – including mine – and I want to be like you, even if it costs me. Give me the grace and the patience to persevere in these situations I bring before you now…continue to pray and tell the Lord those situations where you need His help to be more like Him…
For further study: Click on the links below to find resources on being at peace with God and others.
To be a part of the conversation about the article above, or even if you just want to read what everyone else is saying about it, go to the Settle Quickly Comments Page.
To leave your comments, helpful hints, and suggestions about this website overall, use the Comments section of Pastor Randy's blog.
This article is Day 12 of the 40 Day Devotional; the next devotional is Day 13.
Please use this website for personal devotional use and feel free to share it with friends and family. However, all publishing rights are reserved. No reproduction or publication of this blog is permitted without the permission of the author, Pastor Randy Brockett. To contact Pastor Randy, email him at [email protected].
To leave your comments, helpful hints, and suggestions about this website overall, use the Comments section of Pastor Randy's blog.
This article is Day 12 of the 40 Day Devotional; the next devotional is Day 13.
Please use this website for personal devotional use and feel free to share it with friends and family. However, all publishing rights are reserved. No reproduction or publication of this blog is permitted without the permission of the author, Pastor Randy Brockett. To contact Pastor Randy, email him at [email protected].