It
might surprise you that God promises to punish
your enemies. Romans 12:19 says, “Never take your own revenge, but leave
room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will
repay,’ says the Lord.” Sometimes we forget that God loves justice and He
is the only one who can administer the correct amount of punishment.
The
apostle Paul realized the importance of letting God punish his enemies instead
of taking matters into his own hands. He said, “Alexander the coppersmith did
me much harm. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds” (2 Tim. 4:14).
And God will repay those who have harmed you as well, but first He wants you to
try to make peace with them.
Romans 12:18 says, “If
possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” God
wants you to make the first move at peacemaking. Sometimes your attempt to make
peace will soften the other person’s heart and the relationship can be healed.
But what if the other person never changes? It’s tempting to take your own
revenge, but this is when you need to “leave room for the wrath of God.”
1. If you take your
own revenge, you are trying to play the role of God. Getting revenge is
a right that belongs to God. He says, “Vengeance IS MINE.”
2. If you take your
own revenge, God will back off from what He intended to do.
God
says, “Oh, so you want to do it? That is what I wanted to do. I can get
vengeance better than you, so if you do it your way, it will interfere with
what I want to do.”
3. If you take your
own revenge, it means that you don’t believe God will correct the wrong. You must believe that
God is just and He will hold the person accountable who hurt you.
When
will God get vengeance? It might be in this life, the life to come, or both now
and later. If the other person never apologizes and makes things right, you can
rest assured that the Lord knows how to settle the score correctly. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
NEW BIBLE
STUDY: How will God resurrect the dead from dust? This study explains how He will bring back the
bodies of people who have disintegrated or have been cremated.
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Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
