Not Getting Revenge

Not Getting Revenge

Bible: 1 Peter 3:8-14

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult (V.9).

Reading

On 30 January 2018, almost thirty-eight years after he was jailed, Malcolm walked out of prison a free man. DNA evidence cleared Malcolm, who had always said he was innocent. A poor defence lawyer, unclear evidence and a badly run investigation put an innocent man in prison for nearly forty years! When he was finally released, however, Malcolm showed an amazing attitude. “You cannot be angry,” he said. “There’s not enough time to be angry.”

If we unfairly lost thirty-eight years of our lives, we would probably be very angry and want revenge. Even though Malcolm spent many long, hard years paying for something he didn’t do, he wasn’t undone by the situation. Rather than using his energy to try and get even, he lived out the instruction Peter gives us in the Bible: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult” (1 PETER 3:9)

And we’re to go a step further. Rather than seeking revenge when we’re wronged, Peter tells us we are to bless (V.9), “seek peace and pursue it” (V.11) and be “eager to do good” (V.13). We can show forgiveness to anyone who hurts us. Without excusing their actions, we can meet them with God’s generous mercy.

On the cross, Jesus took on the full weight and penalty of all our wrongs so that we might receive forgiveness and pass it on to others.

BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY FORGIVEN, WE CAN PASS THAT FORGIVENESS ON.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries