Romans 12:14

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Talk about easier said than done! It’s one thing to understand this verse; it’s a completely different thing to live in it. We’ve all faced some type of antagonism, anger, maligning, or confrontation from someone. The natural reaction, and one most people would find acceptable, is to stick up for yourself, to show the other person why they are wrong, and to get our revenge.

But the Word of God is crystal clear about what we should do. When you are wronged or persecuted, your responsibility is to bless that person! If we could stop right here with this verse, then all we would have to do is mutter a “bless you” under our breath! But Paul goes on to describe this in more detail:

Romans 12:18-20

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

This doesn’t mean that you will be able to make other people be at peace with you. Sometimes someone will be antagonistic toward you, and no matter what you do, they will never be at peace with you. The only thing you can control is your own soul. How can you lay aside your wrath and revenge? By thinking the way that this next verse says:

19 NEVER take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.

The answer is to leave the entire matter in the Lord’s hands. You have to realize that when you retaliate and take your own revenge, you are getting in the way of God. Who would you rather have handle the problem? Stay out of the Lord’s way, and trust Him to handle it, because He can handle it infinitely better than you can.

All you do when you retaliate is to lower yourself to the level of the other person. When you don’t handle the attack the way the Word of God tells us to, then you have removed yourself from the plan of God.

Notice what is missing in this passage. It doesn’t say, “unless the attack is untrue or unwarranted.” Even when someone attacks or maligns you without cause, or says untrue things, you still don’t have the right to take your own revenge!

1 Peter 3:8-9

8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;

9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

When someone attacks you unjustly, it’s always a real temptation to fight back, or find some way to extract revenge on them. But when you look for revenge, what is your thinking like? You are focusing on the insult, and the revenge. When you handle it God’s way, you are focusing on the solution and on the power and grace of God. Which way do you want to think?

Don’t take your own revenge. Leave room for God to handle it. You never know what kind of example you can be setting for other people, both your friends, and the one who attacked you.