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Revenge - The Wrong Way To Pray Jun 26 2008
"Do not judge lest you will be judged. For in the same way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. " - Matthew 7:1-2
Do you ever wish that certain people got what you felt they deserved--especially people who have wronged you? Do some people seem to get away with murder and not face any kind of punishment or repercussion?
You may have seen the cartoon with three panels:
Panel #1: A zealous character is praying to the Almighty. He says, "God, smite my worst enemy!"
Panel #2: The man praying this prayer is struck by lightning.
Panel #3: The man groggily says, "God, let me rephrase that!"
Be careful what you pray for because sometimes you might find your own worst enemy is yourself. Jesus Christ says, "Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge others you will be judged as well."
I hope that today you won't be so hard on others, because one day the gavel may fall on you.
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6 Comments
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Yes, report it NevermindI would love to have a copy of this cartoon to hang at my desk as a daily reminder. Where might I find it? Thank you.
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Yes, report it NevermindWe are all guilty of this at some time or another. It sure is great to know that God does not do this but he will judge in a way that there will be no question as to my guilt. God Bless all.
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Yes, report it NevermindSuch a good devotion! I need to remember to worry about my own sins. I also need to pray that those who have "done me wrong" will know Christ and experience his love and forgiveness. We all need mercy. It feels so good to give and receive it.
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Yes, report it NevermindI think that this devotion is probably talking about someone that gets on your nerves or your next door neighbor that you do not like because his dog barks all the time.
It could even be talking about that person who killed a family member in a car crash because they were drunk or the person that raped your sister. In these cases, you're right. God said "vengeance is mine." No one will ever do to us what we have done to the Lord and He still loves and forgives us. So we are to do the same.
However, if someone is truely hindering your walk with the Lord or the advancement of the gospel then asking God to take care of those people is all throughout the Bible. David, Joshua and other leaders of the old testament repeatably ask God to help them defeat their enemies and in Jehoshaphats case God just killed them for him.
On Monday, as I was reading in 2 Timothy chapter 4 where Paul was telling Timothy that he had been abandoned by Demas and some of the others normally with him and that Alexander the coppersmith had done him much harm to which Paul replied, "May the Lord repay him according to his works."
We just need to beware of our motives and ask ourselves are these people against me or God.
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Yes, report it NevermindI am guilty of lashing out at other's in hate when things aren't going as I want and it's a selfish thing. It's also hiding a more underlying problem with ones self development. That can be in their relationship with god or just personal improvement goals in general. I have come to understand that the more I leave in gods hands while working to better myself as a person, the less hate and anger I have.
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Yes, report it NevermindSurely its wrong to pray that God smite an enemy, we are told to pray for them and bless and forgive them. However, God does say that we reap what we sow, we can take comfort in that when we have been wronged. That does not mean that we cant pray that God bring someone to repentance and restoration, we should pray for that. He also says Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
The Psalms are also full of prayers that God would repay the wicked. David also trusted God to repay and did not seek to take vengence but gave God place to do it His way. Yes, we need to forgive, but there is nothing wrong in taking comfort, or even praying that God repay and sort it out, making everything right in the end. I am aware this flies in the face of what many would say but thats my understanding of the Bible and the plain reading of scripture...