1 Thessalonians 5:15
Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.
Proverbs 20:22
Do not say, "I will avenge this evil!" Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.
Romans 12:19
Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written: "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord."
Deuteronomy 32:35
"Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly."
Love Our Neighbors (The Good Samaritan)
Leviticus 19:18
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Luke 10:25-37
One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.
Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.
But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’
Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
“The one who showed him mercy,” replied the expert in the law.
Then Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Our neighbors are everyone everywhere, not just living next door.
Bless Our Enemies
1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Matthew 5:44
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Proverbs 25:21
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
Luke 6:27, 28
But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Romans 12:20
Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink: for in so doing you shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
The closer we are to Christ in our relationship with Him, the easier you would think this might be. But we are still human and our flesh will rise up, or try to rise up. When? When petty things happen, even good Christians let words fly out of our mouths because at that moment an enemy's dart has gotten through our armor.
- When we've 'had enough'
- When we get cut off on the road
- When we lose our temper
- When we are offended
Repent. Stop in the middle of our sentences if we have to and ask forgiveness from the other person if we can. Let the forgiveness of God wash over us, gaining strength for the moment. And move ahead.
But what about when not so petty things happen? Let's say someone brings a weapon into your safe place. A stranger or someone we know brandishes a gun in your face: what are you going to do? Are we ready to stand and deliver our confession of faith? Our weapon is our Love in Christ. Is our life more important than that person's soul? It shouldn't be.
John 12:24, 25
Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 13:34
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.
