Posted on Sep 09, 2010 under His Word |
Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord.”
Romans 12:19
I have lived by this passage. In fact, vengeance frightens me. When I’m feeling so angry that I want to “get back” at someone, I pray. I pray that God calms me. I pray that God controls me. And in the end, I pray that God blesses the person on whom I want to seek revenge.
I know that seems crazy. I’m not even sure I can explain it. I just know that when I pray that God blesses the person who has hurt me, without any conditions attached – like “so he’ll feel bad for what he did” or “so she’ll apologize” – something miraculous happens. I don’t know exactly what it does for the other person but I know that I find peace. Crazy, huh?
Today I feel betrayed. I want to call someone or visit someone and ask why. I want to express in words the hurt I feel. And part of me, if I’m going to be very honest, wants to make my betrayer hurt the way I hurt.
Instead, I pray now that the Lord bless the person who has hurt me. I pray that the Lord bless those who were part of the betrayal. I pray that God bless those who sought revenge against me and caused this pain. No conditions. Just blessings.
And I will wait for the miracle of a peaceful heart.
Posted on Oct 03, 2008 under His Word |
I’ve been praying. Fervently. I’m in dire need of God’s blessings right now, for me and for my entire family. In fact, I’ve been praying so much that I almost forgot to stop and listen.
I was so desperate yesterday that I begged God that if this wasn’t the time to answer my prayer, to at least give me a sign that things would be okay. And then I prayed some more.
When I finally shut up and listened, I got that one sign. It wasn’t the solution to my problem, but it was the sign I’d requested. That one glimmer of hope was right there, waiting for me to listen to it.
Praying is good. God wants to be at the top of our priority list. He wants to be our first thought in the morning and our last thought at night; and He wants to be a part of every minute between the two. But God wants to speak to us, too. He wants us to listen.
Today, I’m going to listen to God. I don’t want to miss His message to me.
Posted on Jan 24, 2008 under His Word |
We must pay more careful attention therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Hebrews 2:1
Whether you were raised in a Christian home or found Christ later in life, you undoubtedly have read the Bible. You have learned of God’s word. You know his teachings. So why must you continue to read the Bible? After all, it hasn’t changed or been updated, right?
This is the information age and there is no escaping the all of the information being hurled our way. From the internet to 24-hour news channels, we are the most up-to-date society ever. And yet, some of the information that finds its way to us is not truth. Some of it is not only based on lies and propaganda but can be downright harmful.
Only in reading God’s word daily and allowing Him to guide us through the information maze, can we remain on the true path to our Father. Only when we rely on His Word to show us the Way can we maneuver through the misinformation to the truth. This is why it is so vital that we read the Bible every day. This is why we must keep God’s word at the center of our minds and our lives.
