Thank God: 1 Corinthians 15:57
Story of the Day: 1 Thessalonians 5:15
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Devotional: 1 Thessalonians 5:15
Undeserved
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 NLTPaul’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 might not always be easy, but they can always be trusted.
When we choose unforgiveness, hate and anxiety and bitterness will likely take root. But when we choose forgiveness (even though we might need to consider new boundaries), love and peace and reconciliation can flourish.
So, what about you? Have you ever been mean? Have you been selfish? Talked behind someone’s back? Broke a vital promise? Lied, criticized, ignored, or done the unthinkable? Have you ever decided to give up and walk away?
In our unique-to-us ways, we’ve all let someone down. We’ve disregarded God’s instructions and, instead, created our own instructions. We’ve messed up.
We deserve God’s wrath but, instead, He’s offered us His unconditional love.
Because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, we didn’t get what we deserve. And even while hanging on that cross, breathing His last earthly breaths, He cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
Jesus repaid our evil with extreme mercy, leaving us free to conquer evil with good. So today, let’s honor His sacrifice by treating others the way He treated us.
When Life Becomes Tough
When life becomes tough we don’t know what to do. We often wonder why bad things happen to good people, but when it rains, it pours. Life is unpredictable, we never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. As life goes on from day to day struggles and troubles come to knock us down, such as sickness, debt, job loss, and everything in between. When that happens, it frustrates us and causes stress, depression, and anxiety. I know that we all have been through things, go through things, and come through things that we thought we couldn’t, but the good thing about it is that we are never alone.
When I think about life becoming tough, I think about the Apostles. They all went through things that they never thought they would, and think about what Jesus went through the night before He was crucified. Think about what He went through in the garden when He was praying. At times, we all become afraid of something that we are going through that we don’t understand.
Jesus never told us that life was going to be easy. He didn’t tell us that we were not going to have troubles, but He did tell us to be encouraged, and take heart because He overcame the world. So, with that being said, we can overcome the obstacles that we face in our lives. Whatever we are going through we can give it to Him. We can leave it at His feet and not have to worry about anything. Whether it’s sickness, heartache, and pain, we can leave it with Jesus. He can fix everything in our lives, solve all of our problems, and give us strength when we ask for it.
Until next time, and as always, thank you for joining me on my journey with food for the soul.
My Life’s New Journey
I never thought my life would turn out like this but it has. My life is great! The new journey I am on now is remarkable because it happened suddenly. I am amazed at the new things I am doing now that was once just a dream out of my reach. I don’t know where this journey will take me but I am enjoying every minute of it. I can only hope that every moment of my life is happier than the day before.
Life will lead you on unplanned journeys. Enjoy the ride and trust that your final destination will be a great one.
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Food for the Soul 