The One Who Resisted

Holding onto a grudge and seeking to take revenge will slowly destroy you. The Lord, the only righteous and blameless one, is the true Judge.

The One Who Resisted

This week's devotions are written by my friend Jessica Hermann, former director of our college ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

Pop quiz! I'm thinking of a movie character who was so overwhelmed with their need for revenge that it ended up leading to their downfall. To whom am I referring?

Well, honestly, this is such a common trope that every one of you reading this might have a different answer. Why do we see this character so often in films and stories? Well, it is relatable. The need to seek revenge is embedded within our sin nature, and characters like this remind us of the danger of holding on to hurt. The need for revenge, like you've seen in countless movie characters, destroys a person from within. What, then, do we do when we have been deeply wronged or hurt? Another one of Paul's "shout-outs" in 2 Timothy 4 is a great example.

"Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." (2 Timothy 4:14-18)

Alexander the coppersmith is clearly a dangerous man. Paul was concerned about protecting others from him, and he issued this strong warning. He didn't go on complaining or spreading details of what happened. He did, however, seek to protect others by giving them this strong warning to "beware." However, before he even did that, Paul added a phrase that we want to focus on: "the Lord will repay him according to his deeds."

Holding onto a grudge and seeking to take revenge into your own hands will slowly destroy you. Why? It is not our job to enact revenge. The Lord, the only righteous and blameless one, is the true Judge. Let He who is able to judge fairly and fully take the burden of vengeance off of your shoulders. Paul did this, and he testifies that the Lord gave him strength, rescued him, and will bring him to safety with the Lord. This hope that we have enables us to loosen our grip and trust the Lord to be just.

Trusting the Lord to enact vengeance and justice is really an act of surrender. So many of us have sung the lyrics "I surrender all." Have you considered that all also includes your desire for revenge for wrongs done against you? A wholehearted surrender isn't just about your finances, callings, and time. Surrendering all to the Lord also involves giving over even your deepest hurts and wounds into the hands of our Lord... and those hands are trustworthy. He is both the great Healer who brings restoration and healing to your pain and also brings justice to your situation.

Let us learn from the apostle Paul to let our immediate response to those who harm us be to turn them over to the Lord, trusting that He will deal justly, and then watch as the Lord stands by you and strengthens you, just as He did for Paul.