There is NO EXCUSE for being mean!!!

But you don’t know what they did to me!!!!   You don’t know how they treated me!!!

When I catch up with them, I am going to tell them a thing or two!!!  I am just going to give them a piece of my mind!!!  I’ll make them sorry they ever said or did that to me!!! 

So, you are saying that you are going to give them a dose of their own medicine!!! 



REALLY???  And what good is that going to do???



Are you telling me that you think that you have the right to get back at folks for the way they have treated you???

Well, they deserve it, you know!!!  They treated me just awful!!!!!  I am just going to give them what they have coming!!!! 



That sounds like revenge to me!!!



Vengeance is MINE says the Lord!!!  I will repay!!!


Romans 12:17 (AMP) Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone.

 

Romans 12:18 (CEB) If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people.

Romans 12:19-21 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

²⁰ Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.



But doesn’t the Bible say, “An Eye for an Eye?” 



Jesus talked about that teaching, too!!! 


Matthew 5:38-39 (CEV)

³⁸ You know that you have been taught, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

³⁹ But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let that person slap your other cheek.



You have got to be kidding me!!!  You really think I am going to just stand there and let some person walk up and slap me???  Are you crazy???? 

Listen to what Jesus taught HIS followers!!!


Matthew 5:7-12 (NKJV)

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    For they shall obtain mercy.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    For they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    For they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.



Wow!!!  Do you mean that I am supposed to consider myself blessed when folks mistreat me????  And I am supposed to just let folks do ALL kinds of mean things to me???

Matthew 5:43-45 (NCV)

⁴³ "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemies.'

⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.

⁴⁵ If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and he sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong.



Jesus didn’t say that we should go around looking for folks to be mean to us or treat us bad, but HE knew that some folks were going to be ugly to us!!! 



Jesus tells us to LOVE those that mistreat us!!!


Matthew 5:46-47 (NCV)

⁴⁶ If you love only the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that.

⁴⁷ And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than other people. Even those who don't know God are nice to their friends.

We must remember that Jesus died on the cross so that each of us could be forgiven!!!


Matthew 5:48 (AMP) You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

You know, God sees and knows when someone mistreats us and is ugly to us!!!  GOD SAYS FOR US TO PRAY FOR THOSE THAT DESPITEFULLY USE US!!!  And remember, GOD IS NOT telling us that we should pray, “GOD GET ‘EM!!!” 

Luke 6:28 (KJV) Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

I know that it is really hard to say a sincere heartfelt prayer for someone when they have treated you like dirt and made you cry!!!  



But we have to remember that when people attack us, it is usually because they are jealous of us!!!   Sometimes, it is because of what they are going through and we just got caught in the crossfire!!!  No matter what has happened and no matter what the reason, we have to forgive those folks!!!



I learned a long time ago that folks can see our God-given gifts and callings, and sometimes this causes them to be fearful or jealous of us!!   It helps me to realize that they NEED GOD!!!  THEY NEED MY HELP AND I CAN ONLY HELP THEM BY PRAYING FOR THEM!!!

You know, I went through ALL of this recently!!!   Yep, sure did!!! 


I really thought that I had forgiven this person, but then this person showed up on my doorstep to check on me!!!   And the reception that they got was NOT nice!!! 

Suddenly, I found out that anger, bitterness and unforgiveness had been festering inside me and it had turned dark and nasty!!!  That wound that I thought had healed was only scabbed over!!! 



When this person showed up on my doorstep, it was like someone stuck a knife in that wound and opened it up!!!  And ALL this nasty, stinking, rotting mess (of bad feelings and unforgiveness ) that had been in that wound erupted!!!  It flowed out like hot molten lava!!!



And yes, I know that sounds gross!!!   But it is the truth!!! 

Have you ever heard the words, “OPEN MOUTH, INSERT FOOT???”  Well, that doesn’t even begin to describe what happened!!!  It was more like “OPEN MOUTH, SHOVE LEG AND ARM DOWN THROAT!!!” 



I told myself that this person deserved everything that I said to them, but I still could NOT seem to make that feeling of remorse go away!!!  I knew that although my words were true, I had been hateful and mean, even if it wasn’t intentional!!!  I really had shocked myself!!! 



I tried to blame the devil for making me feel guilty!!!  After all, this person deserved to be told off!!!  And it couldn’t be that I wasn’t justified in what I said!!!  God couldn’t be telling me I was wrong!!!! 



And then it happened!!!

 

 

I heard that someone had done the same thing, just in a different way!!! 



And what did I do??? 



I thought, SHAME ON THEM FOR BEING SO MEAN, EVEN IF IT WAS DESERVED!!!! 



I remember thinking, “THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR BEING MEAN TO ANOTHER PERSON AND TELLING THEM OFF, NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID!!!” 



I even remember thinking, “Don’t they know that they will reap what they sow?”


Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

It bothered me a whole bunch to find out that they had been mean and that they felt justified about doing it, because after all, this person had deserved it!!!  (Sound familiar???)



IMAGINE THAT!!! 



THEN GOD SHOWED ME, “ME!!!!”  HE SHOWED ME THAT I HAD DONE THE SAME THING!!!!



God told me that if I had to tell everyone how badly this person had treated me in order to justify my bad behavior, then I had NOT forgiven this person!!!  And HE began to deal with me about my anger, my hurt, my meanness and my hateful behavior!!! 



THAT’S WHEN IT HIT ME!!!!



I realized that I really had done exactly the same thing!!!  I HAD BEEN HATEFUL AND MEAN TO SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY HAD TREATED ME UGLY!!! 

Funny how something looks so bad when someone else is doing it, but when we do the same thing, it doesn’t seem that bad at all!!!



Talk about a mote in my eye!!! 


Matthew 7:3-5 (NCV)

³ "Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the big piece of wood in your own eye?

⁴ How can you say to your friend, 'Let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye'?? Look at yourself! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye.

⁵ You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend's eye.

I could only think this must have been how King David felt when God sent The Prophet Nathan to tell him about the rich man that took the poor man’s lamb!!!! 


And when David became indignant and angry against that man, Nathan told him, “You are the man!!!”  You did it!!!


2 Samuel 12:7 (AMP) Then Nathan said to David, You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king of Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.

I HAD TO ASK GOD TO FORGIVE ME!!!  I had to pray that HE MAKE A WAY FOR ME TO APOLOGIZE to this person that I had treated so horribly!!!



I HAD TO HOPE THAT THIS PERSON WOULD ALLOW ME TO APOLOGIZE AND BE MORE MERCIFUL THAN I HAD BEEN!!! 



YOU SEE, I SAW THE SHOCK ON THIS PERSON’S FACE WHEN I SAID WHAT I SAID!!!  AS I STOOD THERE, I COULD STILL FEEL THE WORDS HANGING IN THE AIR AND I KNEW THAT I HAD INFLICTED HURT AND PAIN!!!



God made a way and I did apologize!!!  I THANK GOD that this person was gracious and showed me more mercy and compassion than I had showed them. 


Matthew 5:7 (CEV) God blesses those people who are merciful. They will be treated with mercy!



Let’s be honest and think about ALL the bad things we have done!!!  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to reap ALL the things that I have done!!!  I do NOT want to GET WHAT I DESERVE!!! 



I have prayed and asked for forgiveness.  I have repented!!!  I have asked GOD for HIS MERCY and I have pleaded the BLOOD OF JESUS over my sins!!!!



I am so thankful that Our Father in Heaven is a MERCIFUL GOD, who allows us to repent and ask to be forgiven!!!  I am thankful that HE refuses to remember our sin once we have asked for forgiveness!!!



HOW AWESOME IS OUR GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Micah 7:18-19 (NCV)

 ¹⁸ There is no God like you.
       You forgive those who are guilty of sin;
    you don't look at the sins of your people
       who are left alive.
    You will not stay angry forever,
       because you enjoy being kind.

 ¹⁹ You will have mercy on us again;
       you will conquer our sins.
    You will throw away all our sins
       into the deepest part of the sea.