Quotes4Hire

Undeserved

When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…

They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.

They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.

And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:

“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT

Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)

God’s ways might not always be easy, but they can always be trusted.

When we choose unforgiveness, hate and anxiety and bitterness will likely take root. But when we choose forgiveness (even though we might need to consider new boundaries), love and peace and reconciliation can flourish.

So, what about you? Have you ever been mean? Have you been selfish? Talked behind someone’s back? Broke a vital promise? Lied, criticized, or ignored? Have you ever decided to give up and walk away?

In our unique-to-us ways, we’ve all let someone down. We’ve disregarded God’s instructions and, instead, created our own instructions. We’ve messed up.

We deserve God’s wrath but, instead, He’s offered us His unconditional love.

Because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, we didn’t get what we deserve. And even while hanging on that cross, breathing His last earthly breaths, He cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Jesus repaid our evil with extreme mercy, leaving us free to conquer evil with good. So today, let’s honor His sacrifice by treating others the way He treated us.

God, when I come to You with humility, You never hold my mistakes against me. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, all my mistakes are paid for. I never want to cheapen Your gracious gift by refusing to show mercy or kindness to others. So please remove any hurt or devision from my heart, and show me where I need to do good to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The End of the Age

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations…and to gather them for battle.
Revelation 20:7-8, NIV

The Coming Golden Age will end with one final rebellion against God. For reasons we don’t fully understand, Satan will be released from his prison and deceive many people once again. He will try to reenact the Battle of Armageddon, hoping for a better outcome. John said, “But fire came down from heaven and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9, NIV). At last the devil will be tossed into hell with the Beast and False Prophet, and we’ll be rid of him for good—forever!

As we engage in spiritual warfare now, let’s keep our eyes on the Victor. Jesus defeated Satan by His death and resurrection. The victory is already ours. John, the author of the book of Revelation, also said, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true” (1 John 5:19-20, NIV).

Rejoice today, for the Victor is near us!

“You are not fighting for victory, but from victory, for Jesus Christ has already defeated Satan!”
Warren Wiersbe