Revenge or Kindness?

Compliments for the new year
May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-enterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist and your plumber.

May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.

May New Year's Eve find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends. May you find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.

May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, may the commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may your check book and your budget balance - and include generous amounts for charity.

May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent, your siblings; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor.

Thought for the day

Years ago, on the mighty Mississippi River, two tugboat captains who had been friends for years, would always cry "Aye!" and blow their whistles whenever they passed each other.

A new crewman asked his boat's mate, "What do they do that for?"

The mate looked surprised and replied, "You mean that you've never heard of... an aye for an aye and a toot for a toot?"

<>

I suspect that few of us would admit to living by the motto, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" (Matthew 5:38), but let's be honest -- there is something instead us that enjoys the idea of getting revenge. Some of the more popular movies throughout the past years have been those that opened with someone being mistreated. We spend the rest of the movie anxiously waiting for the hero to get the opportunity to exact his revenge -- and then we cheer!

It's not much different on a personal level. I suspect that whenever somebody does you wrong, the temptation is there to immediately start thinking of what you can do to get them back. But, if you find yourself tempted to take revenge, may I suggest two things:

(1) Resist the temptation to exchange evil for evil. That temptation will always be strong and we need realize that it will be there. But we also need to remember the emptiness and hollowness of revenge and resentment.

(2) Show your enemy kindness. Abraham Lincoln was once accused of being too nice to his enemy. He was told to be firmer; he must destroy his enemies. He replied, "I do destroy them when they become my friends."

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." (Matt. 5:43-44)

Verses

Mark 5:36

(Overhearing) but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be seized with alarm and have no fear, only keep on believing.

Acts 28:8-9

And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Never give in then, my dear brothers, never admit defeat; keep on working at the Lord's work always, knowing that, in the Lord, you cannot be laboring in vain.

1 Corinthians 14:15

What is the result then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

1 Timothy 6:17

Warn those who are rich in this world's goods not to be arrogant.
They must not set their hope on riches which are so uncertain, but on God who generously gives us all things to enjoy.

Prayer

Father, we join our spirits with Your spirit so that the whole world will know that we are one in You. We unite in purpose and oneness of heart as we go into the world and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to every region and every race. A people that is divided against itself will surely fall, but a people united by a common foundation, motivated by the same purpose, will be strengthened. We look to You, as our Head, to impassion us with the desire to work together in rescuing the perishing as we trample down the forces of evil. Your redemptive love binds our hearts together in perfect unity.