From Pastor John Collins:
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:19-21 (NKJV).
I am sure that there are many people who would like to do
this but are unable. It is very hard when you are hurt, insulted or mistreated
by someone you just want to fight back and get even. It feels good to add
insult to injury to someone whom you feel deserves it. It is easy to treat your
enemy with utter disrespect and contempt.
Who says that they are your enemy though? What drives people
to group up together to hate another group whether it’s nationally,
internationally, in school, at work, or even in our own families? It is not
what God wants from us and it is just not our right to determine who has value
and who does not.
It is our responsibility to grow in our faith and learn to
have true compassion, even on those that we would ‘consider’ our enemy. God
knows if any one of us has behaved with righteousness or not and every one will
stand before the judgment seat of Christ. It is up to us to let go of the
grudges and the pettiness that we can hold so dear. It is up to us to see
things as Jesus would and choose to forgive and to let the justice of God play
out.
It is also necessary to know that false kindness and fake
friendliness gains you nothing. When your heart holds contempt for someone
there is not enough smiles and kind gestures that will make up for it. You must
allow clarity to enter your mind and pureness to enter your heart. Hold on to
God and His Son and they will help you heal. Let God do His job and you do
yours, worship Him in Spirit and Truth.
“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:17-18 (NKJV).
