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.
