by[17] “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.” – Romans 12:17 (NKJV)
What happens when someone does evil to you? You get frustrated. Right? Sometimes, you feel like paying back evil for the person, especially when you get the opportunity. But the Bible says that you should not repay evil for evil for any bad thing another person does. And in fact, that Biblical command has no exceptions. In other words, it does not matter how terrible you feel or how bad you have meant to take revenge; you must let go.
That explains why forgiveness has become very, very difficult for many people in this life. They like to take on the work of vengeance upon themselves because of their hurts instead of focusing on obeying the scriptures as God takes care of the evildoers.
Take a look at the life of Joseph in the Bible. He saw his brothers strip him of his special clothes. He saw his brothers put him in well because of hatred. Joseph saw his brothers sell him to the Ishamaelites and taken to Egypt. All those things were painful. He suffered a great deal of harm, lies, and atrocities levelled against him in Egypt, still remembering the dreams God had given to him. He could have killed all his brothers when they came years later to buy food from Egypt. Joseph could have decided not to sell the food to the guys and made his whole family starve to death in Canaan. He cried when he eventually revealed himself to his family. The pain was real, but forgiveness helped and freed him.
There are so many people who cannot forget the hurt others have caused them. Why? Because such a hurt may have negatively impacted their lives so much that it can’t be ignored. But holding grudges in your heart as the offended doesn’t help you. Release that tension in your heart, and let God take charge of your case.
Prayer:
Father, help me to forgive anyone who has hurt me. May I never repay evil for evil for what anyone has done against me. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Devotional Code: KGD – 2025 – 236
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