Sermon on the Mount - Nip It In the Bud

Matthew 5: ²⁵ “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶ And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.

Don't get others involved in your personal difference with another person. Nip it in the bud by keeping it betwee you and the other person involved. We need to deal one to one with all things, and adding more people gets input and advice from people who are not intimately involved in it. This is the heart of gossip, where we think getting someone outside of a problem to agree with us makes it right. This practice is what causes outsiders to get involved and enraged about something they know little about. The worst case scenario of doing this is what causes street riots with people who don't know the details and oare rioting on second and third hand information. Go to the person, and you will stand a better chance of getting things resolved without bringing in outside people, especially do not go to court.

You can stop the grievance from advancing any further by getting the truth from the person, then working out the details between the two people, and no more. Diffuse it immediately and then go on with your life. Jesus is helping us live "real" life in these verses, and we need to take heed and not only listen, but activate these words and live them.

Tomorrow, we move into an area that is so prevalent in our society that it is breaking up families and watering down the purity of marriage. Be sure to tune in for what God's Word says about adultery.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren