Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18
Whenever there is a crime of violence it is very common to be one of revenge or a grudge against someone else. People get hurt by someone and they want to get back at them or at least hold it against them.
Family members and friends have been known to refuse to talk to each other for many years because of some grudge against each other. Hatred runs high among many people around the world.
God told the Israelites to not seek revenge or hold a grudge against another person, but to love everyone as they love themselves.
While it is expected for the world, which does not believe in God, to seek revenge or hold a grudge, many believers are also known to do the same.
It is commonly heard of a person being hurt by another person in a church and the person leaves the church with a grudge against it. Others won’t leave but will speak badly about the other person trying to get some revenge for the wrong done.
Any believer who acts like this has forgotten what Jesus has done for him. Every person has sinned against God and deserves only the worst possible punishment from Him.
Instead of punishing, God sent Jesus to die on the cross in the worst way possible for every sin committed. Jesus, instead of seeking revenge or holding a grudge, He stands ready to forgive and forget with love. In the same way that
Just as Jesus is ready to forgive and move forward, every believer should be willing to forgive, love and move forward when someone hurts them. This is where the true love of God shows up in the life of the believer and not the ways of the world, seeking revenge and harboring a grudge.
Someone has probably done something wrong to you in your past. You have a choice to make when hurt by someone. You can either seek revenge and hold a grudge against that person or you can choose to forgive and love that person.
Revenge and a grudge do nothing but harm you and the other person. Do not allow your hurt and anger to control you, but allow God’s Holy Spirit and love to envelope you and give you strength to love and forgive as Jesus did.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know God’s love and forgiveness for you; that you will love and forgive others as Jesus has done for you; and that God will strengthen you to get rid of any grudge you have against anyone else.
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