Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 37:8-11
Ps 37:8-11
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
Matt 5:43-48
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God loves you and me even though there is no sense in which we can say that we deserve it. It is not that he just cares about us a little bit but he loves us so much that he gave his Son to die for our sin so we can live with him in eternity. His love is so great that he makes it available to every person, regardless of what they have done or how terrible their lives have been.
John asks us how we can say we love God whom we have not seen if we do not love our brothers whom we have seen. If God can forgive us when we don’t deserve it, how can we refuse to forgive those who sin against us? Since God has compassion, even on the wicked, how can we deny compassion toward those who have done us wrong? After all, our goal is to be like God.
So we are instructed to not seek revenge but rather, we are to leave it up to God and allow him to avenge himself. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” says the Lord. Since he knows the hearts of mankind and he knows the motives behind every action, he is best suited to make the judgments and deal out any punishments that need to be dealt. So instead of seeking revenge, we pray for them.
Lord God, fill me with your Spirit so I can love others as you love me and show compassion as you have shown me. Help me be more forgiving and to be able to seek the good of others and never try to get revenge. Thank you for loving me when I don’t deserve to be loved and forgiving me when I don’t deserve to be forgiven. Lord, the world around me is so wicked and I need your strength to be what you want me to be. I know you are in control of all things and I ask for your guidance on the elections in this country. Help our leaders to look to you for the wisdom only you can give. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
