Replace Revenge with Doing Good

Rom. 12:17-21 (NLT)  

   17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19  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. 20  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.” 21  Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

It is the way of our world to 'pay back' mistreatment with revenge. It is supposed to make one feel good, they say. But it never does. God offers us who follow Christ, a new way. Christ's way is to unconditionally love. His way is to forgive. His way is live in peace with others. His way is to forgo revenge of the worldly and leave that to God. God promises to take the necessary revenge at the most appropriate time if the individual does not repent and become a Christ follower. God's anger is righteous-- whereas ours is not. Ours is self serving but God's is just. The Lord promises to do many wondrous things in making us over. He promises to replace our vengeful spirits with a heart that has capacity for unconditional love-- for limitless forgiveness, and for joy in the face of evil treatment. We can even be able to feed and quench thirst for those of our enemies who are hungry and thirsty in our presence. We can show a side of Christ that our enemies may never have seen in others. We can demonstrate the Christ has the power to change human nature and they may want to discover how that change can be applied in their own lives. What could you do today that fulfills this passage? Ask the Lord and He will show you.

Your servant in Christ's love

Dan Elliott

drdanelliott@gmail.com