Romans 12:19-20 – Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." (NASB)

A friend of mine was approached by a sheriff's deputy, who served him with a warrant. The friend was then handcuffed, placed into a cruiser, and taken to a makeshift jail, where he had to serve time until he could raise enough funds to secure his release. This was part of a fundraiser called "Jail and Bail".

The person who was served with a warrant could pay some money instead of serving time in jail. Whether the person served time or not, he could — for a price — find out who had taken the warrant out on him. Then — for a price — he could take a warrant out on the person who had taken one out on him. In this case, revenge was a good money-maker.

It is part of our human nature to want to take revenge. From today's Scripture passage, though, we know that we are not to do this. We are to do the opposite — which we can do only if we have Jesus Christ living inside of us.

Prayer: Father, please forgive us when we want to take revenge rather than forgive. Help us to love others as You would have us love them. In the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Dean Masters <dwmasters15@gmail.com>
Erwin, Tennessee, USA
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