Reconciler

Matthew 5: 25"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. 26I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny

 

Adversaries

Having adversaries is not fun.  It will happen.  In life, there will be people at times that just don’t want you to succeed.  There are others that just don’t understand your motivation.   They are friends waiting on understanding you.  In the interim, they are antagonists.  Hopefully, you did not create them needlessly.  Our actions and words can stir up people against us.

 

Peacemakers 

When an adversary comes up against us, it is wise and important to settle matters quickly.  Don’t fight for rights.  Go for peacemaking.  Follow the best peacemaker ever, Jesus.  He made peace with God for us.

 

Problematic

The air in the office could be cut with a bowie knife.  The acrid atmosphere was tense and thick.  No one was there but Jim.  His struggle broke across his brow with a furrow so deep his team stayed in the hall.  You could smell the pain.  You could feel the strain.

Jim reached for his bible.  This tome was his guide for hard moments.  They come.  They go.  We have to live through them. A glance in Psalm 37 settled him.  “Stay in the land.”  He made his decision.  These issues needed to be worked through to a settled state.

 

ACT!  Who is an adversary?  Who is fighting against you at home, at work, at school, in the community?  What is the reason?  Can it be settled?  Take action.

 

PRAY!  Father, my heart is to follow you.  Where can I settle one more grief?  Father, is there someone holding against me some item?  Can I do something to help it settle in their heart.  Teach me.  Instruct me in Your ways of peace.  Teach me to avoid the conflict and resolve toward peace whenever it arises.

 

 

Phil Larson, 508 Tumbleweed Dr., Yukon, Oklahoma 73099  405-388-8037

 

Conciliation

Matthew 5: 23: Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

             

Brothers?

To Jesus the issue of treating our brothers with respect was powerful.  It wasn't just a matter of not killing each other and not calling each other names.  His outlook was one of resolving differences.  Jesus is tough on those issues that divide unnecessarily.  Surely, 99% of what divides us today can be resolved with humility and the right approach.

 

Deal With It. 

In the verses before and behind this the issue is laid out.  Don't attack or be angry with your brother unless it is super serious.  Settle a matter quickly, even if the person has set themselves as an enemy against you.  Deal with it.

 

Whoops!

Now take a really close look at those words.  If your brother has something against you!  Most of the time, it is more comfortable to look for the times I have something against someone else.  What about when someone has something against me?  That is much tougher.  It takes laying down my pride and admitting my guilt.  How many times has someone come to you in a spirit of being wrong and admitted their fault?  Not often, I bet.  How many times have you gone to others and said those hard words, “I was wrong.”

 

 Work Notes:

The conflict at work was intense.  These two just could not get along.  Every meeting was full of asides and stares.  What could break the personality impasse?

 

One of the parties stayed after a meeting.  Their demeanor was serious.  Slowly, they admitted the problem was real and asked a friend how to address it.  Fortunately, they were Christian.  The concept of grace was easily appealed to with them from the friend.  Everything did not get better immediately.  But it sure made the rest of the week more productive.  Maybe the other person would eventually respond to the extension of grace.

 

ACT!  Call someone who is testy with you.  Offer them peace and acceptance.

 

PRAY!  Wow, Father, You are really serious about Your family getting along.  Surely, You created us to live together with peace as much as possible.  Help me today to be a peaceful person and a peacemaker.  Help me to move first toward peace with others.  I love You, Father.  I am glad You are always on my side for me to grow.

 

 If we can pray for you regarding anything in your life, please let us know.  Our greatest blessing is to bless others in prayer. .  www.prayermetro.com   Phil@prayermetro.com

 

 

Phil Larson, 508 Tumbleweed Dr., Yukon, Oklahoma 73099  405-388-8037

 

Faith is a resolute confidence in a forward facing future. Have faith. Trust God. Give thanks.

Legal

Matthew 5: 19: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

 

So many times we hear of the Jesus of grace and mercy.  Surely, He is that.  He is also just and correct.  He requires us to live up to a higher standard.  That standard is easily achievable in Him, but only in Him.  On our own, we will never make it. 

 

Jesus is legal, correct, right, and focused on helping us move every day closer to the same place as Him.

 

Arguing with the team had become too common for Jack.  Over and over, he had covered key points needed to progress.  Over and over they had resisted and only complied with the smallest amount.  Now it was time to move forward.  Now it was time to break the stalemate.  

 

Jack called the group into his office.  Looking intently at each one, he challenged them to step up to the new procedures.  He declared it a “now” item not a tomorrow item.  It was time to do the work correctly. 

 

ACT!  Are you out of line somewhere with the simple instructions of life?  Ask forgiveness, get a new set of directions, and set out to make it different.

 

PRAY!  Father, I can get so caught up in doing in my way and doing what I think is right.  Help me see Your way.  Surely in Jesus, I can do what You ask me to do.  Don't let me get caught in the legalisms of others, but only follow as You ask me in Jesus.

Committed

Matthew 5:  17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished”.

Jesus is committed to the full plan of God.  Part of that plan is the law.  Part of that plan is for the law to show us our inabilities and ways to live a better life.  This law is detailed and damning and defining.  There is no avoiding it.  Even when we have not been taught the law, it will convict us of the need for a better life.

On a plane headed home, the woman next to me convicted me.  The memory scripture on which I was working talked about being wise with those who do not believe.  Here she was, unbelieving.  Here she was, looking for answers.

Really, airplane chatter is tough for me.  The noise and head stuffiness makes it hard to hear.  What if the person is a bad conversationalist?  The flight is 3.5 hours.  Every excuse presented itself.  The voice of the verse taunted my conscience.

The entire flight, we talked.  She asked about picking a good man, who would be a good father for children.  She asked about finding her passion in life and living faithfully to it.  She asked about relationships based on codependency.  She was looking for some counsel.  She was looking for a friend with the gospel.  She was looking with a friend with knowledge of the law that builds a better life.

ACT! Who is it that needs some light of the gospel?  Yes, the law will convict you to find the gospel.  Then it becomes a joy lived by the power of the gospel and the freedom of grace.

PRAY! Father, Your law convicts me of the need for grace.  Every day, I need grace.  Every day, I need mercy.  Any You provide it every day in every way.  Grace to endure.  Grace to rejoice.  Grace to be alive.  All of this is mine in Christ.  Mercy to be free.  Mercy to live with no condemnation.  Mercy to enter Your presence as a child and ask for love and life.  These are all mine in Christ.  Keep me moving forward in understanding and obedience.  Keep me open to live the Gospel so others might see and hear.

 

 

Phil Larson, 508 Tumbleweed Dr., Yukon, Oklahoma 73099  405-388-8037

 

City of God - Light of the World

This short E-votion has been going out since 1997.  Today there are over 1200 worldwide receiving.  I don't add frequently, just at simple junctures where I connect with people.  It all started when serving as a church administrative pastor.  In the rush of ministry, the staff were not receiving any.  So I started a little word of encouragment once a week via email as a lifter.  Most people did not have email back then, but our staff did.  Then a missionary visiting would see one printed out and ask to be added, and oh well, the list got longer.   Missionaries in the field receive.  Pastors, bishops, and educators receive.  Men and women in business and community and at home receive.  Lots of men and men who are dads receive.  Baptist, Presbyterian, Assembly, Pentecostal, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Faith, independent, interdenominational, Islam, Jew, and no declared faith receive.  Trust me, everyone doesn't agree on every one of these.  Most tell me that every once in a while a simple truth hits home and encourages.  For that one that touches every once in a while, I send them out. 

If memory serves me, I believe there are at least 500 more in this series on Matthew's gospel.  At my present rate, it will be about five years before we complete this gospel a snippet of thought at a time.  There are other full books on subjects regarding Prayer in Times of Trouble, Approaching God in Prayer, Praying For Other Christians, Winning Attitudes in the Workplace, Psalm 84 - A Heart for People, Unity Among Christians, Patching the Breach - Avoiding and Curing the Plague of Gossip, The Tower of Spiritual Fathering... all of these have been tested across Christian faiths and world cultures. 

Be Blessed a little.  Don't worry if you only read one a year or a month or a week.  I won't.  Don't be afraid to pass on to a friend in need of a lift. Just be straightforward about it.  Every once in a while I get an opt out from some one who is not in.  They don't realize from whom they are getting them.

Yes, there is a real person behind PrayerMetro.  I just updated the website with a few of our recent connections.  Maybe I'll get some time to post the Father/Daughter Summit pics.  It was such a blessing.

Most of all, I love to pray for you.  Every morning I take my morning coffee in prayer.  It has been my ritual for over a decade.  In the evening, I take a few more minutes of prayer and writing.  During the day, I try to not leave the attitude of prayer.  Sometimes, my wife will throw me out of bed because I am praying out loud in my sleep.  Don't be hesitant to let me know how to pray with knowledge for you and your family and business.  There is plenty of room in my schedule to get it done.

Many of these E-votions are archived from prior years at Psalms.ws, a website of a friend.  Recently, I've tried to keep prayermetrodevotions.blogspot.com updated as an archive, also.

Enough rambling.  Be blessed.  Be full of hope.  Be happy.  God is in control.  God is always awake.  God is always on your side

Matthew 5: 13: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

City of God

What does it mean to be the light of the world?  Connection to Jesus means we become the light of the world.  Connection to Jesus means we are a part of a city on a hill that cannot be hid.  It is not us individually to whom He speaks.  It is us, the City of God, the people of God, to whom He speaks.  Together in Him, we are the light of the world.  

Light For All

Our world is dark.  Our world is pained.  Our world is putrid.  Get it straight.  This world is full of shadows.  It is wrong because it is disconnected from the light.  Jesus came and spoke to the world to change to a different way of thinking.  He spoke for this world to think light not dark.  When we connect with Him we connect with a message of light.  

Connected Light

Together, the body of Christ, is meant to shine a light on problems.  It is meant to shine solutions for our metro.  This city to which we are attached is full of solutions for others to see and grasp and join.

Dad’s Example

When I was a child, we visited restaurants infrequently.  It was a rare treat to eat out.  Every time we ate out, my dad insisted we make the traditional prayer signature to start, bow, and sign out physically.  Everyone could see the sign of the cross.  In many churches the letters IHS (In Hoc Signa) in this sign are inscripted.  In the sign of the cross, we would start and end prayer.  People would get quiet in the room.  It was embarrassing.  It was humiliating.  It was right.

For my children, it is common for me to call on one of them to pray aloud in a restaurant.  It is our tradition.  It is something my dad taught me.  Don’t be ashamed of who you are or who your God is.  When eating out with business acquaintances, it is still my honor to bow and silently pray.  Every once in a while someone will ask me to pray aloud in a restaurant.  It is not right to impose my faith, but it is my honor to acknowledge my Creator.  The doors open when you do.

ACT! Shine a light.  It is so easy to not be like Christ.  It is so easy to skip praying over a meal in public.  It is so easy to just not mention your friends and relationships in Christ.  When conversation at lunch turns to others talking about movies and shows and new homes and kids in school, how do you talk?  Are you free to mention your friends in Christ?  Are you open to talk about a great sermon you heard or a meaningful worship service that stirred your soul?  Are you willing to be seen connected to the city on the hill?

PRAY! Padre Precioso, Precious Father, I am committed to join the city and be known as joined to the city.  It s risky.  It is risky to be known.  Even according to Your word, it can bring persecution.  It can bring misunderstanding.  It can bring dissension.  But, Father, I am committed to be known by Your name.  Let me not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ that calls us to live as light in a dark world.  Let me not be ashamed of the name of Jesus.  Let me not be ashamed.  Let not my enemies of my world, my flesh, and the devil triumph over me.

 

 If we can pray for you regarding anything in your life, please let us know.  Our greatest blessing is to bless others in prayer. .  www.prayermetro.com   Phil@prayermetro.com

 

Phil Larson, 508 Tumbleweed Dr., Yukon, Oklahoma 73099  405-388-8037

 

Rewarded

Matthew 5: 1: And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, … 12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

 

Connection With Reward

Connection with Jesus is a connection with reward.  The reward is not free.  It comes with great price in this world and great blessing in the next.  Sometimes we want that formula changed to blessing here and blessing there.  There is a time of blessing in this world.  There is a time of persecution in this world.  Sometimes they are the same item.  When we follow Jesus, we must be willing to embrace both and not be deterred by either.  To address persecution as blessing is an enigma only those that know the honor of being joined with Christ can understand.

 

Ann’s Dilemma

The press against Ann was intense.  She had taken this new position in obedience more than desire.  Over the last few years, she had seen the team go from pitiful performers to top class award winners.  The team performance was receiving notice from across the company.  Ann simply prayed to be faithful and do the right things.  God had answered and given her favor and wisdom.  The results were good for the company many times over.  Now, she had been promoted in place of her director.  The rumors in the workplace were heavy.  People talked.  All she wanted to do was serve faithfully.  This was a blessing.  This was a persecution.

 

ACT!  The fear of persecution has stopped more than one person from stepping into greatness in God.  Is there a fear in you of blessing that leads to success?  Are you afraid of the concurrent potential persecution?   Put down the fear.  Understand that God, Himself is on your side.  He will strengthen you in blessing, though it may take all the strength you have in Him to truly enjoy.

 

PRAY!   Father, deliver me from the fear of greatness.  Deliver me from the evil that would avoid victory because of the attendant persecution.  Break loud in my soul the blessing of Your assignment.  Teach me to fearlessly embrace the victorious living in Christ.  Teach me that persecution is the greatest blessing when it finds me because of faithfulness to Your name and Your assignment for my life.

 

 

Phil Larson, 508 Tumbleweed Dr., Yukon, Oklahoma 73099  405-388-8037