23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.25 “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. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.REFLECTIONSWritten by Trish TranLet’s face it. There is no one on this earth who enjoys dealing with conflict. It may involve heated arguments, saying things that you end up regretting, and perhaps a lot of crying. Verse 24 highlights the importance of being the one to initiate reconciling with someone. I must admit, at times this sounds like a hard gig because to successfully chop up conflict – it first involves us mincing away at our personal pride that may play a huge barrier in taking the bold decision to deal with the conflict. I am reminded to assess the intentions of my heart and to ask for God’s help to grow in humility. In verses 25-26, there is an illustration of a person who is about to be judged in a court. There is nothing more important than knowing where you’re at with God. How do we know we have truly been reconciled with the Judge and Ruler of this world? Thankfully, we see reconciliation made perfect through the death and resurrection of our humble King – Jesus Christ. It was only through him dying and rising that we could be reconciled to God. Our relationship with God has been restored. Maybe there is something quite beautiful about adversaries after all as it’s an opportunity for us to evaluate the state of our hearts and be fixated on the glorious truth that Jesus died once and for all so that we may be reconciled with our Heavenly Father. ABOUT THE AUTHORTrish is part of our Fairfield Evening Church. She says “I like ants. I am a teacher and my class name is 5/6 Cyan and I call them my '5/6 CyANTS' - so yes, I really like ants.”