The Best Revenge of All

Romans 12:17-19 If someone does you wrong, don’t try to pay them back by hurting them. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. Do the best you can to live in peace with everyone. My friends, don’t try to punish anyone who does wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger.

When someone wrongs you or someone you care about, and your anger rises up in you until it’s white hot, what’s the one thing that you want more than anything else? Revenge. Sweet revenge.

The slightly crazy thing about that is this: the reason we experience that desire for revenge is that we’re made in the image of God, and so our sense of justice rises up against the injustice that we’re confronted with.

And justice demands that wrongs be set right. It demands they be punished and restoration paid – which after all, is precisely why Jesus died on that Cross for you and me; to set our wrongs right; to take the punishment that we richly deserve.

So, rather than taking revenge on us for rebelling against Him, God Himself, through Jesus’ death on a cross, paid the price of our sin that His justice demands. When you think about it, that’s an utterly remarkable response to wrongdoing – a response born out of His great love for us.

Perhaps then, the best thing we can do is leave justice to Him:

Romans 12:17-19 If someone does you wrong, don’t try to pay them back by hurting them. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. Do the best you can to live in peace with everyone. My friends, don’t try to punish anyone who does wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger.

In other words, the best revenge of all is none at all. Heal, move on and don’t become like those who hurt you. Meanwhile, wait for God to punish them with His anger if and when He sees fit.

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.