Loving

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

LOVING

Prov 20:22

22 Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

NIV

Revenge is mine, sayeth me! No wait that is wrong, it is supposed to be, “Revenge is mine sayeth the Lord”. But how fast we want to get even when we are wronged in some way. Oh maybe we don’t say, “I’m going to get you back”, but maybe we think it. Some call it, “Tit for Tat. But that is with our friends or spouses and it is not being really mean and spiteful, but just a little mean and spiteful. Although this saying should apply to our friends and spouses it also needs to apply to those who truly are not our friends but actually who might be considered our enemies. The idea here carries the same meaning as Paul wrote to the Romans.

Rom 12:17-21

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "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."   21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

NIV

So then living in peace with everyone means we do just that. We should not take on any attitude of revenge. That would mean in the first place we would not take on the attitude of being hurt, or insulted, or being mistreated, or not liked. Those and attitudes like them are at the root of wanting to get back at that person in some way. Those attitudes are the spark which ignites the flame of revenge. If we are to love our enemy, how much more we are to love our friends and family. Then we would have to consider how God defines love and travel to 1^st Corinthians to find it.

1 Cor 13:4-8

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.

NIV

Although all of that applies in living in peace with everyone, most likely in the idea of revenge, the keeping no record of wrongs, stands out the most. Although not being self-seeking and not being easily angered are right up there with it. The point is we have to let those hurtful words, wrongful actions, or mistreatments just roll off our backs like water on a duck. Now according to the saying we should leave room for the Lord to take revenge for us. He will reward each according to his works, that is whether a person accepts Jesus or not. But here it seems to apply to God taking revenge on those who do us wrong. How would that apply to our friends and family? Surely we would not want them to be an object of wrath and surely if they are believers they would not be subject to his wrath but to his grace as we are. So then how do we deal with them if they are being a little hurtful toward us? Certainly we need to discuss the situation, but then that might mean we are still being self-centered taking on attitudes that are not defined in love. However our friends and family, other believers need to know they might be doing something that is not defined in love. Kind of a conundrum of sorts. Jesus did say, “Blessed are the peacemakers”.  Sometimes making peace requires being at peace. If any anger, resentment, hurtful attitudes exist then we cannot be a peacemaker. We are in some sense being revengeful looking for that speck when we have the log. So let us make every effort to live in peace. Let us pray for those who wrong us in any way and go on loving them.