I’m going to “get you back!”

1 Peter 3: ⁸ Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

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As I walked down the hall someone stuck their head out of one of the dorm rooms and called me a derogatory name. “What?” I said to myself. I proceeded downstairs, bypassed the authorities of the dorm and got my six foot five 300 pound friend. We beat on the door until they let us in.

There were eight guys in the room yet silence fell on everyone as the two of us advanced into their lair. “Who called my friend the names” he said in a deep bellowing tone. No answer. I yelled at the guys who lived there in a threatening tone and they left me alone the remainder of my years.

Funny, years later I realized that I too had said some derogatory statements that could have triggered this battle.

• In my desire to win I try to get the evil person back by doing something more evil
• In my desire to win I heap on the insults hoping to belittle my opponent into retreating.
• In my desire to win I don’t think about the consequences of my statements or actions.

Repaying evil with evil does not help anyone win in fact I come out behind because I have stooped to their level and have no plan on how to get out. GOD says “let ME fight your battles.” HE tells me “vengeance is MINE, I will repay.” When GOD says these words, HE means it.

• It’s my job to treat my enemy with love and let GOD do the judging.
• It’s my job to have compassion for those who are critical of me.
• It’s my job to sympathize with wrong doers and let GOD do HIS thing.

GOD is judge, jury and executioner when it comes to my enemies. HE loves those who love me and judges those who deliberately try to harm me. HE doesn’t need my help punishing HIS humans because my motives will be evil and HIS are pure love. HE corrects me when I’m wrong and does the same for others.

“Repaying evil with blessing” is not as easy as it seems. First it requires that I think of this person as one of GOD’s humans rather than being my opponent. Next I have to ask myself “What does GOD want me to do?” Finally I have to step away and pray for an answer rather than immediately jumping in with my fleshly sinful first response.

GOD blesses my efforts to "bless" those who are difficult to bless.

• Do you have an antagonist?
• Is that person close to you and their evil actions make you angrier?
• Can you see this person is one of GOD’s humans who needs a blessing from you?
• Will you take time to find out why this person is bent on doing wrong to you so you can pray for them?