Vengeance Does Not Save

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.                                                                                                                                                                                 (Psalm 18:1-3 KJV)

Most of us have enemies; people who would do us harm. Turning to vengeance ourselves is not real helpful. The Lord will take care of you.

Spending time and energy to avenge ourselves can be like a boomerang. It could very well fly back and hit us in the face. Vengeance can cause all sorts of legal ramifications for us. And, living in anger will take away our peace. It can make us ill: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Leave the vengeance to the Lord. Trust Him for He is your rock, your fortress, deliverer, and strength. 

According to St. Paul: "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. (Rom 12:18-20)

Vengeance is God's. Trust Him and live life in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

 

A Gift From God

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

                                                                                           (Eph 2:8-9 KJV)

Those who say they are Christian of course try to do good to their neighbor. But, it is never by these good works that one can be saved. It does not matter how much good that we do we are saved by God's grace through faith in the one who lived and died and yet lives for us. Salvation is not something that we can earn in any way, shape, or form. It comes as a gift from God through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. 

It is this one, Jesus the Christ, who inspires us by the Holy Spirit to follow in his footsteps and to do good. So, when if and when you find yourselves sitting high and mighty up on your horse and claiming your alleged goodness for yourself; think again. You will never be so high and mighty as the Lord. 

Remember, the story of how the people of Babel fell. The people's plan was to build a tower to reach to the heavens. God saw and dispersed the people to various regions; confounding their languages so that they could not get together and plan such things again. Their plan they had considered to be a good thing. God did not think it so. Their good plan came to nothing.

We will never reach the heavenly kingdom on our own. We cannot. God came down from the heavens to reach us and to reach out to us so that we might live in his heavenly kingdom, in his presence, for all eternity. This is a gift from God!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Best To Leave God's People Alone

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."                                                                                       (Isaiah 54:14-17 KJV)

What a heritage! Our God is a Mighty God. I have relied on these passages, quite a few times, to keep me from seeking vengeance. I trust the Lord to provide justice when justice is due. This justice may not come about in the way that we expect it to; but, it will come in God's time and in His way. 

This does not mean that we should not stand up and defend ourselves or others; but, that we should not seek revenge just for the sake of revenge. We should not stoop down to the level of those who would attack others for personal agendas.

It is not a good idea to attempt to oppress the children of God. So, the next time anyone would consider plotting against a child of God or against the church  for their own personal welfare or prosperity, it would be a very good idea if they would first consider both the possible short-term and the eternal consequences.

"The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence." (2 Sam 22:3)

God's Peace - Pr. J