Refrain From Retaliation
Monday, November 6, 2023Key Verse
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
Text — Romans 12:17-21
Message
After a long shift at the fire department, Matt Swatzell fell asleep while driving and crashed into another vehicle, taking the life of a pregnant mother, June Fitzgerald, and injuring her 19-month-old daughter. Fitzgerald’s husband, a full-time pastor, asked for the man’s diminished sentence – and began meeting with him for coffee and conversation, as reported in Readers Digest Magazine.
Sometimes, it is difficult to forgive an offence. But the truth is, it is more difficult and dangerous to harbour a grudge or malice. Yes, we may not forgive for the other person’s sake but for our own good. Forgiveness frees us to live in the present and allows us to move on without anger or desire for revenge. It brings us to good mental, physical and social health. It clears the cobweb so that we can see the good again. Above all, forgiveness is the right thing to do because, God commands it. Indeed, you may one day need to be forgiven. Remember the immortal words of Alexander Pope: “To err is human; to forgive is divine.” Be a true child of God.
Quote
To forgive is divine
Challenge
It is more difficult to harbour a grudge.
Prayer for today
Lord, I forgive those who trespass against me.
About Author - Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
