As a elementary school kid, I could recall many mean jokes that were played on my classmates and schoolmates alike. As these jokes were executed, the dominant thing that ran through the mind of most is getting revenge on that person with a joke of your own. When the opportunity presented itself, the person jumped full steam ahead and got their sweet revenge. In the adult world, we, within our relationships, either with our children, our spouses, or friends, have, at times, hurt them with our words or actions because in turn, we have felt like that we have been hurt by them or rubbed the wrong way by what they said to us. What God is saying to us is though, we may apply the cliché "Don't get mad, but get even" to our situations, He is telling us that when you are mad, do not get even! Today's scripture provides the foundation and baseline for discussion.
Today's main scripture is located in the epistle written by Apostle Paul to the church at Rome. This book was written around the time of 56 to 58 A.D. Scholars stated that Romans is a book of doctrine divided into four sections: righteousness needed (1:18 - 3:20), righteousness provided (3:21 - 8:39), righteousness vindicated (9:1 - 11:36), and righteousness practiced (12:1 - 15:13). Our main scripture for today falls into the final category of righteousness practiced. Within this scripture, God is providing us guidance on not getting even when we are mad.
Paul begins the first part of this text by saying, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil". In other words, there's no room for tit for tat. Have you ever seen anyone or been the one to throw stones at someone because of the stones they have thrown at you? Have you ever thought about getting revenge on someone because they embarrassed you in public? If we cut the grass short enough, we have all been there and done that! Again, remember what the Father is saying to you, even when these situations present themselves to you: when you are mad, do not get even. Proverbs speak to the importance of our mouth and the impact it has on your relationships. If you want to have stronger marriages, do what you can to love your spouse despite the pain (direct or indirect) that comes your way. If you want to have stronger relationships, do what you can to love your mate/child/friend/whomever despite the pain (direct or indirect) that comes your way. If anything, do not get even when you get mad!
Paul concludes the text by giving us a loving thought to remember: "Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody". I know this one is easier said than done. However, it's on us to strive towards doing what's best in the eyes of our friends, enemies, children, and most importantly, God. Paul tells us within this same 12th chapter that "Vengeance is mine, said the Lord, I will repay". With these things being said, there's no reason to get even and go "tit for tat" with someone. At the end of the day, the Holy Spirit will deal with them accordingly. Those who are reading this devotional can attest to how God has avenged them in the mists of their enemies, their "friends", and their family. With all of this being said, it does not make sense to get even though you are mad or when evil has been done to you.
In closing, life has a way of dealing you some blows. These blows often come from our family and friends and they come off as "wrong" or evil. Because of this feeling, we often times want to strike back and get even! God through the Apostle Paul is challenging you and I on today, to change that mindset and not try to get even when you are hurt. Allow God to do the work on the individual and in turn, focus on keeping yourself in order!
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