Guiding Light!God will Avenge!I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19 As I read these verses today it helped reaffirm my attitude to a situation that is going on right now in my life. Our old self before we were a child of God saved by grace and brought into the newness of life with Christ Jesus would of reacted quite differently to this situation than today as we have matured in our faith. Not that any of us are fully mature, but hopefully we are on the path of maturing in Jesus Christ. There is a certain person who has for the last two months been calling and harassing making totally unfounded accusations. At first my reaction was to lash out in self defense, but knowing that this is not how God would have me react I answered sympathetically and explain the facts and the truth to hopefully ease his mind. This worked for a time and then this person became so consumed with what it was he wanted to hear and to believe he would not listen to reason anymore. Along with the harassing phone calls this person has been stalking me, following me around town, sitting in my driveway, parking down the street and watching me. I thought this is an invasion of my privacy and I better take care of this in a worldly way. As I laughed at myself for even thinking these thoughts, I put them out of my mind and continued with life. Now I know that my life is not in this persons hands, my life is in the hand of the almighty God. It is in His protection that I reside and trust every day of my life. My heart goes out for this person and I pray for him daily. It is not for me to seek revenge, it is for the Lord to judge all of us. For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay, "and again, "The Lord will judge his people. "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.--Hebrews 10:30-31 As we read in Hebrews it is God who will avenge and judge His people. I need to keep focused on how I am living, that it is in accordance with His instructions to the best of my ability so that I may be judged lightly and mercifully. God hates injustice, unfairness, liars, cheaters and the like and we know they will not triumph. Those of us who love and expect Jesus' return do so with anticipation and joy knowing that the God of the universe will judge us all, it will be a dreadful thing for the wicked and unrighteous to fall into the hands of God. Heavenly Father, thank you Father for the strength you have given me to overcome anger and a revengeful heart, and replaced it with a heart of forgiveness and love for my fellow man. I am comforted in your arms of protection and I trust in you moment by moment each day knowing that I am safe with you. Have mercy Father on the unrighteous, expose them to your grace, your love and your salvation that is available to them for the asking. Have mercy on me Father a sinner saved by grace, show me the way so that I may not stumble and fall out of your protection. We honor you, we praise your holy name and we humbly submit to your Lord. In Jesus name we pray...amen In Christ's Service, Kenny Millhouse kenny@guidinglightministry.com http://guidinglightminstry.com This is a weekly service brought to you by Guiding Light Ministry, if you enjoy receiving these messages, please send us an email sharing your thoughts and words of encouragement. Feel free to pass these messages on to your friends and neighbors. If you need personal help in learning how to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, send us an email and we will contact you immediately. If you have received this devotion from a friend and would like to be added to our mailing list, reply with "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line and we will gladly add you to our list. If at anytime you wish to be removed from our mailing list, reply with "REMOVE" in the subject line and we will immediately remove you. Email Us! |