Skip to main content

The Difficult Choice

Rom 12:19-21 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but [rather] give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance [is] Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.


 
a•venge –verb (used with object)
1. to take vengeance or exact satisfaction for
2. to take vengeance on behalf of

venge•ance –noun
1. infliction of injury, harm, humiliation, or the like, on a person by another who has been harmed by that person; violent revenge
2. an act or opportunity of inflicting such trouble
3. the desire for revenge


There is a desire inside of us, a part of our flesh nature, that desires to inflict pain when we are pained. To bully when we are bullied. To hurt when we are hurt. To lash out when we are lashed out against.
We must allow God to take vengeance. When we choose to take revenge into our own hands, we are operating in our own wrath and are not walking in love. What a truly amazing thing to have the love of God in us and choose to bless our enemies instead of harming them.



Mat 5:43-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more [than others]? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”



What are you doing for your enemies? Do you hate people? Do you have a “list” of people you cannot stand? What if you turned that list into your prayer list. We are told to love our enemies. Do good to those who hate us. Pray for those who persecute us. Love. Bless. Do good. Pray. THAT we would be sons of the Father in Heaven. WOW!

What a better example of doing that – than Jesus. The ManGod who chose to put vengeance in the hands of the Father. There will come a day when Jesus does take vengeance on His enemies. The enemies who have been unjust to Him AND unjust to His people. But Jesus chose to put that timing in God’s hands. He died a cruel, painful, torturous death and PRAYED for the very people who were doing it to Him. HE is our example.

No matter what we are going through, we are called to pray for those who do evil to us.

There may come a day when we are called to love, bless, do good, and pray for those who are inflicting pain upon our families and ourselves. Maybe you’re already in that time. Leave revenge in God’s hands. God’s justice is much more JUST than your’s. After all, He is the Keeper of Justice.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What if Jesus meant what He said? - "If you love me..."

The thought occurred to me today.   What if Jesus meant what He said? He said a lot.   A whole lot. And if He is God, then we should listen to what He said. If He is our Lord, then we should listen to what He said. I want to go on a journey of exploring what He said.   He is the Word and He is God.   I think what He said is worth exploring and worth living by.   The first thing I want to look at is in John 14.   This will give the premise for the entire journey of seeking out what Jesus said.   Because if Jesus meant this… then the rest of what He said is VERY important. Jhn 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Jhn 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." Jhn 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come ...

A thought

There are easy days. And then there are difficult days. This is my reassurance: God is constant and He is always faithful. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” – 2 Timothy 2:13

Ezekiel 14:12-23

I read this passage last night. I have seen a verse or two about it... but the entirety of it gripped me when I read it. I had never thought about it as a principle. "When a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness..." Then I was blown away by the men God used as examples. Noah, Daniel, Job. Men whose lives have a tremendous impact on the end-time saints. To be the only ones delivered in your righteousness. What was it like to watch an entire culture that God was not pleased with and see his judgment poured out accordingly. Righteous men - Noah, Daniel, Job - who stood, even when they stood alone. And yes, all three of those men, stood in their righteousness alone. They all faced scoffing and hatred of them. There are lessons in all of these men's lives. God judges nations. He judges lands that sin against the Lord in persistent unfaithfulness. But there are righteous ones in the midst of judgment. Eze 14:12-23 The word of the LORD came again to me...