Verse of the Day - Leviticus 19:18

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
~ Leviticus 19:18 (NIV)

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God knows us pretty well, doesn't He? He knows that is our natural response to insult and injury -- seeking revenge and bearing a grudge. We want payback, man! We want them to suffer! We want to give them the death glare every time we see them so they KNOW how much we hate them!

Gee, just writing those last few lines puts a bad taste in my mouth. Do any of us really want to be like that when it is laid out in black and white like that? That kind of heart is just plain ugly. And today's verse could be summed up in the popular phrase, "God don't like ugly..."

And God ends this command with an interesting phrase, "I am the Lord," but it makes total sense. It's the authority line that parents tack on to the end of 'clean your room' or 'don't stick that straw in your brother's nose' -- "...because I'm the parent, and I said so." Authority. I'm in charge here, and I need you to behave and do right. And because I'm in charge, I have the power to help you see the error of your ways with a little thing I call 'discipline'. It hurts me more than it hurts you, but it is necessary because I can't have my child running around hurting other people and themselves.

So how we view people who treat us poorly is high on God's priority list. And since He's God, He can see right through us into our heart (1 Samuel 16:7) -- there's no sense in trying to hide your feelings of hatred and revenge toward others from Him. He knows that is our natural inclination, but He also tells us to get His help in making spiritual change (Romans 12:2).

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ~ 2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

The next time someone does something negative toward you, check your heart. Does it get ugly? If so, God says to cut that weed down -- don't water it! Cut it down with God's own glory and goodness. That is love in action -- love for God, love for humanity, love for yourself.

Love,
Joelene