Revenge or Restoration?
Matthew 18:15 If your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, go and tell them what they did wrong. Do this when you are alone with them. If they listen to you, then you have helped them to be your brother or sister again.
So when was the last time that you felt insulted, miffed, hard done by? It happens for all sorts of different reasons. Sometimes we’re just in a bad mood and the smallest thing can set us off.
Whatever the reason, it seems to happen pretty regularly doesn’t it? It can be as trivial as a friend or family member overstaying their welcome, or as profoundly hurtful as a deep betrayal by someone close to us … and everything in between.
Whatever the trigger, it stirs up a sense of entitlement in us – I deserve better than this! No doubt, that’s a sentiment you’re pretty well acquainted with – as are we all. The problem is that resentment, that sense of entitlement … well, they don’t yield the best results. Enter … Jesus.
Matthew 18:15 If your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, go and tell them what they did wrong. Do this when you are alone with them. If they listen to you, then you have helped them to be your brother or sister again.
That begs a serious question, spoken as it was by the One who came to this earth to save you and me from an eternity separated from God because of our sin.
When someone wrongs us, are we after revenge or the same restoration that Jesus came to bring us? Come on, the last time someone got your nose out of joint … how did you respond? With a desire for revenge born out of a sense of entitlement, or a Christ-like yearning for restoration?If someone wrongs you, tell them – quietly, gently, privately. If they listen, then you’ve helped restore the relationship.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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