"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'"
Romans 12: 19 & 20
Being a follower of Christ is hardest when we have to lay aside our natural responses to things of this world. It makes us sputter in unconsummated rage and feelings of injustice.
A person whom your daughter "loves" flies into a rage and leaves bruises on her neck and arms. How do you feel? How should you react? "Who does he think he is?" you fume, "How dare he do this to MY child!" A natural response, yes? And yet we are told in the verses above, essentially, to kill him with kindness. Instead of throttling this person, you are to invite him to dinner.
The Bible says this will be like heaping burning coals on his head. I imagine that to mean he will be cloaked in shame - and so he should be. Even your enemies are afforded God's loving mercy. Even in their clouded eleventh hour, God hopes the errant person will be won over by Christian love. If God can love this enemy, so should I.
Even Jesus did not retaliate against his executioners but was silent as a sheep awaiting slaughter. And He was innocent! We are not. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Okay, so let's say you follow through and have this guy over for dinner; what's in it for you? The apostle Paul's verses in Romans are a quote from Proverbs 25: 21 & 22, but he omitted the ending: "...and the Lord will reward you." Pleasing God should be my agenda because it will have everlasting affect. Seeking revenge may feel good for the moment, but will ultimately cause more sin and grief.
Father knows best. Listen to Him.
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