Revenge

"They don't even know who they are messing with!" Oh gracious I have spoken those words more times than I can count. I used to say that I wasn't the type of person who held a grudge but I was the type of person to get revenge...like there was a difference! Over this past year I have slowly but surely seen that God has taken the sin of revenge away from me..THANK YOU JESUS! It nearly ate me alive.

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However, as sin has a way of doing I can sense it creeping back in from time to time. I notice it more when I feel like my children have been done wrong or mistreated. The ole momma hen in me starts squawking and next thing you know I'm pecking on somebody's head! [Short side note story...when I was in the first grade my uncle had chickens. His hen had some little baby chicks and he told me to go inside the hen house and get the baby chick and that the momma wouldn't do anything to me. Well, I followed his instructions and as I was walking out with that baby chick that momma hen flogged my head and started pecking on me and girlfriend let me tell you that before I could put that baby chick down and get outside to my Momma she was doing some flogging and pecking of her own on my uncle's head! Us momma hens have a natural way of doing that don't we?...lol]

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So, anyway, back to the jest of today...revenge/grudge is something I personally struggle with on a daily basis. If I'm honest the revenge/grudge can be traced back to jealousy which if you look at the post from yesterday you will see that takes the bite out of my delight. Therefore, I was looking at Luke this morning using The Message and let me tell you I love and I mean I LOVE the way this is worded. Check this out:

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"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously." Luke 6:27-30 (MSG)

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So, how about that? No tit-for-tat stuff. Guess that was directed directly towards me. Let your enemies bring out the best in you. Uhmmm...I like that concept. Since when did I/we give people the power to make us unhappy? It's not their fault, it's our fault. I am the type of person who likes to be in control and feel like I have all my eggs in the basket but I am learning that instead of trying to control worldly things I need to turn my focus on controlling my relationship with Christ because every day that I spend controlling something here on earth is just another day that I am walking further away from my Father! Ouch! That hurt! What about you? Where are you standing in relation to your Father today?