Bible Study & Devotional Day 281
Guiding Scripture Proverbs 24:28-29, Do not testify against your neighbor without cause—would you use your lips to mislead? 29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me, I’ll pay them back for what they did.”
“No Payback Needed”
By contributing writer Stephanie Bright
You hit me, I hit you back. You say mean things to me, I say mean things back.
This is how kids play. But is it just kids that play like this? I’d be apt to say that a good portion of adults also “play” like this.
People can be so mean sometimes, right? We’ve all been hurt by another person, or five, or twenty. Humans are fickle, innately sinful, and because of that, humans hurt other humans, either intentionally or unintentionally. In that hurt and pain, it can be natural for us to want to reciprocate that pain back on the person who inflicted that pain. We want them to feel what we felt. We want them to cry like we cried. This is our fleshly response.
And the world would tell you that there’s nothing wrong with that. Society will tell you to clapback, cancel, exploit, and seek revenge. But as believers of Jesus Christ, we are called to look different from the world. Romans 12:2 reminds us to “not be conformed to this world”. This means that we shouldn’t act, respond, or live as those who are not living for Jesus. Our choices will look different. How we love will look different. How we treat those who have wronged us will also look different.
These two verses of scripture that we read here in Proverbs are a gentle way of correcting us and aligning us with God’s will, instead of our flesh. We should not have the attitude of “I will pay him back for what he has done.” Instead, we must seek the Lord for clarity and wisdom on how to approach the situation.
Don’t think that everything will just get swept under the rug and forgotten, because God is a just God, but He’s also rich in mercy, and so gracious. As we strive to live for Him and be more like Him, He will guide us in how to respond and react, so that we are always a reflection of Him. After all, we are image bearers, right?
So let this be our heart’s desire. Let us want what God wants. Let us respond how God would want us to respond. And let us display Jesus through our lives each and every day.
The Bible In A Year Daily Reading Plan
Saturday, October 8, 2022
Jeremiah 10:1-11:23, Colossians 3:18-4:18, Psalm 78:56-72, Proverbs 24:28-29
Download or Print the One Year Bible Reading Plan
Connect with Stephanie Bright at www.christiangirlspop.com
Stephanie is an on-fire woman of God living in Houston, Texas. As a woman of God, Stephanie commits to the purpose of serving others while building confidence in God through obedience and fervently prays for intimate relationships with God for every Christian girl. Stephanie is inspired to bring CGPOP to college campuses worldwide and is experienced in several areas to guide young women into a meaningful relationship with Christ.
