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Vengeance Is Out
‘“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.’ Romans 12:19 NKJV
Vengeance is God’s job, not yours. He will repay—whether on the final Day of Judgment or in this life. He can discipline your abusive boss or teacher, soften your angry parent, bring your friends to their senses. Forgiveness doesn’t diminish justice; it entrusts it to God. He guarantees the right amount of retribution. We give too much or too little, but He has the precise prescription. And unlike us, He never gives up on a person. (And you should be glad about that.) Long after we have moved on, God is still there probing the conscience, stirring conviction, orchestrating redemption.
Fix your enemies? That’s God’s job. Forgive your enemies? Ah, that’s where you come in. ‘Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.’ (Romans 12:17–21 NLT)
Author Max Lucado says: ‘Revenge builds a lonely, narrow house. Space enough for one person. The lives of its tenants are reduced to one goal: Make someone miserable. They do—themselves.’
No wonder God tells us to ‘watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up.’ (Hebrews 12:15 NLT)
SoulFood: Gen 1:1–2:3, John 1:1–18
word4today an adaptation of The Word For Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2019
