Rest is good. We’re taking a break from producing content over the summer. Enjoy this previously produced pattern and meditation.
With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5) O Lord, I am lowly and humble. You alone are my inheritance. Amen.
Word: Matthew 5:21-24
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with this brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Meditation
Perhaps it’s just me, but I find that the people I get most angry at are the people closest to me. My family and close friends. It’s one thing to have a few choice words for the person that cut you off but by the time you get home it’s forgotten. But it’s another thing when it’s someone close to you who is the cause of your anger. Someone you care about who offends you. Someone you trusted who betrays you. Someone you have to live with who has made life unlivable.
Now, some would say that anger is neutral. It’s just an emotion and you can’t control what you feel. In fact, it’s healthier to just let it flow and vent your anger than to keep it bottled up. Have you ever heard that? In some ways there’s a sliver of truth to all this. We’ve all felt the rush of anger where your blood pressure spikes, your cheeks flush, and your mind goes blank. It feels completely out of control. And so we might decide that since it’s something we can’t control that it’s something we aren’t responsible for. That it isn’t sin.
But then we are confronted with Jesus’s words. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with this brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. It would seem that the excuse “I was angry” won’t count for much before God, even if they deserved it.
On one hand we can’t help but become angry at times. But at the same time, we don’t dare become angry. Not in light of Jesus’s words. But we need to keep listening. Jesus also says, Be reconciled to your brother.” It’s a reconciliation that starts with God, who has reconciled you to himself through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you.
Has there been division or tension in your relationships this year? Be reconciled to your brother (or sister) for in Jesus, God has reconciled you.
Prayer for Family
· For my immediate family (parents, spouse, siblings).
· For extended family (cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents)
· For close friends that are as family to me.
· For those who don’t have families, or whose families are broken.
· For forgiveness and reconciliation where there is division in my family.
· For provision where there is need in my family.
· For God to be the foundation, and the cross the center of my family.
· For a generation yet unborn, future members of our family.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, you call me to reconciliation rather than division. Forgive me for harsh words and angry actions, especially towards my family. Cleanse me from my sin and use me as an instrument of your peace. In Jesus’s name, amen.