“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for the time of his favor has come. He has anointed me to bring the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, the blind will see, and the oppressed will be set free. This is God’s vengeance” (Luke 4:18-19, Isaiah 61:1-2, paraphrased).
You’re empowered to bless the hell out of people. I’m not trying to be irreverent, just the opposite. What Jesus has won for you, you get to live in and overflow.
When we encounter those who seem to delight in causing chaos and harm in our lives, we often justify anger against them as righteous, but it never is. Spiritual orphans demand retribution against people they blame for their pain. But spiritual sons and daughters demand vengeance against the enemy they know is the real source of suffering.
What does vengeance look like? Vengeance is the Spirit of God empowering you to minister love, grace, healing, kindness, and hope to all, even those who hate you. On the same hellish battlefields the enemy has been destroying people, you get to bless them back to life.
“Bless those who persecute you. Bless, and do not curse them . . . Don’t let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:14 & 21).
Hi Rob, I’m a new reader here, so mainly just staying hi at this point. But, wow. That short post of yours here is spot on! That really ties together the idea of “God’s vengeance” (i.e. “I will repay, says the Lord”) with the character of Christ who loved His enemies, and prayed on the cross for their forgiveness, not for vengeance. Excellent. Thank you!
I’m glad it was a blessing. Honored to meet you, Pamela 😊