Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (Rom 12:19)
There are countless places throughout the Bible in which are written the word "forgive". We are not to hold grudges, we are not to withhold forgiveness...we are not to avenge ourselves! Sometimes, that is the hardest of all passages in the Bible to accept. Leaving our hurts, our convictions, our injustices at the foot of the throne. If we go back again to Job, who was relieved of every worldly possession he had, left battered and tormented with ailments we can only imagine and grieving the loss of his children at the hand of the enemy, many of us would not have had the courage he had in that he continued to pray to God and he continued to be a righteous man in spite of all that was happening to him. Oh, to have conviction like that of Job!
In Romans, we are reminded again that our heavenly Father knows our troubles. He knows the wrongs done and the hurt that seems impossible to forgive - yet He tells us to forgive still! Forgiveness does not mean putting ourselves in harm's way again, the forgiveness talked about in this verse is that of release. Our Father knows what is best for us, whether we can see His blessing through our tears or not. He does not need our help in determining the "vengeance" that will be repaid either. His justice and His vengeance are mightier than any other - no court, no judgement on earth can compare to HIS! His is final! His is for all eternity.
I know that it is not an easy task to walk away from what it rightfully yours - but remember...the Lord gives and the Lord takes away - He will give you what you need when you need it. There are only so many days that you have here on earth - make the very best of them. Do what is right in GOD'S eyes, not man's! Offer your earthly losses as a testimony to the greater gift that will come your way in the end! Eternal life! Only through Jesus' death and resurrection can we ever achieve it! Only with prayer and fasting can we maintain our relationship with Him. Only in doing all things for His glory can we ever hope to please Him. We are sinners - all of us! What lies ahead in this world is nothing compared to what lies ahead in the next! There are two choices: which one do you chose???
