SOLID PEACE: Watcha Gonna Do?

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Matt.5:25 NIV

²⁵  Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. ESV

Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you're likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you won't get out without a stiff fine. MSG

²⁵ Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison  KJV

Ok, so what's my point?   Correction......what's Jesus' point:  I like to focus on the MSG versions first words....MAKE THE FIRST MOVE.   Last week the America's Got Talent show season began, and of course you know there are some people that truly have phenomenal talent, while others probably were just praying they had 15 sec of fame.  This one 77 year old guy dressed himself in a white suit, white hat and a thin little gold chain, and decided to go on as a rapper.  He walks out on stage with a hand held casio keyboard and begins to rap to this simplistic pre-programmed beat on this 80's relic of a keyboard.  His rap was terrible.  There was no way I saw him being allowed to go on to the next round, but the people in this packed auditorium felt differently, because like most rap songs.....all it takes is a catchy hook to make it a hit (no matter how ridiculous the song really is.....) and His hook was so " Watcha Gonna Do, Watcha Gonna Do, Watcha Gonna Do......" and Howie Mandell and the rest of the audience was reciting this with joy. He did get voted to go on in the competition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW4RUIjOp9k

Jesus wants to see us as a loving healing community of people, and so as He is talking to the people about anger he takes this opportunity to tell them what to do with it, and simply put He says AGREE WITH THINE ADVERSARY, SETTLE MATTERS QUICKLY, MAKE THE FIRST MOVE, COME TO TERMS QUICKLY with whoever it is...that is upset with you.   Don't wait....don't let it fester, don't go gossipping to others about it......SETTLE IT, WHY?  Because all of us are moving towards court, or better stated JUDGEMENT before Him and if you don't settle it before YOUR DAY you may find yourselves being unforgiven, because you were unforgiving. It's all about LOVING GOD enough to trust Him with your anger so that you can concentrate on LOVING PEOPLE daily. 

So Watcha Gonna Do?  ( I pray forgive whomever, surrender your anger to the LORD, and SETTLE MATTERS TODAY!)  LGLP