February 15
"Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and
do not let your heart be glad
when he stumbles;"
Proverbs
24:17
Human nature desires justice and vengeance. But the
unwise do not stop to think that they too are deserving of
punishment. We are all alike, born sinners, born with a fallen human
nature, born to fallen parents, born into a fallen world, hurt by
various fallen people, suffering injustice - and all of these things
fostering bitterness in us and drawing us into further sin, the sins
of hatred and unforgiveness. The Word of God says we are all in the
same boat, that there is not one who is righteous.
"There
is none righteous, no, not one;"
Romans
3:19
Rather than nurture a desire for vengeance, consider the
end of the wicked. If one truly understood their end, they would drop
all desire for vengeance because the Word of God tells us about hell,
that it is forever, that it is a place of great suffering and eternal
regret. One who truly understands this wouldn't want it for his worst
enemy.
"As I live," says the Lord God,
"I
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,
but
that the wicked turn from his way and live."
Ezekiel:11
We
are no better than the wicked. But we have a Redeemer. That's the
only difference.
Therefore, let us have sympathy for those
whose hearts have not been changed, let us pray for them instead of
hating them. Let us be kind to them, considering that we could easily
have been in their shoes. Let us do all we can, praying that they
might have their eyes opened to see their hopeless state and to turn
their hearts to the Redeemer - that they too might enjoy the hope of
eternal life.
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