“Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. The works of the LORD are great, Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious: And his righteousness endureth for ever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: The LORD is gracious and full of compassion. He hath given meat unto them that fear him: He will ever be mindful of his covenant. He hath shewed his people the power of his works, That he may give them the heritage of the heathen. The works of his hands are verity and judgment; All his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness. He sent redemption unto his people: He hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is his name. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: A good understanding have all they that do his commandments: His praise endureth for ever.”
Psalm 111:1-10 KJV,https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.111.1-10.KJV
Undeserved Mercies
When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…
They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.
They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.
And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:
“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT
Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)
God’s ways ...