BBD 02.09.15 How to Hurt Yourself (Classic)
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>
If for
some reason you do not receive your email version of the devotional please
check the Burning Bush website at http://www.theburningbush.net for the
“Devotional of the Day” and read the devotional there.
The New Pastor's
Training Manual is now available for download on Amazon. You can READ for
FREE a LARGE SAMPLE (approx. 17 pages) which includes how God worked in my life
to Call me to Preach and other material. Click on the “Look Inside Link.” If
you do buy the 216 page eBook for $3 (FREE if you have KINDLE UNLIMITED.)
please write a review. Thanks! 28 eBooks have now been downloaded. Here is the
link: http://amzn.to/1ufa1ov If you prefer a paper
copy of the book you can order it from the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk
The Burning
Bush Devotional
Classic
from 2009
02.09.15
How to
Hurt Yourself
If it is
possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do
not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance
is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 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.” - Romans 12:18-20 NKJV.
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the
king’s wrath subsided. - Esther 7:10 NKJV.
In Bithlo, Florida, Craig Aylesworth had a little dispute with his neighbor and
things got a little crazy. Craig made a gasoline bomb, and threw it at his
neighbor’s mobile home. The bomb did explode, but in what must have been an act
of God, the wind changed. Instead of the neighbor’s trailer being burned up;
Craig’s pickup, a couple of his cars, and his travel trailer were set on fire
by the bomb. Officers investigating think that alcohol may have been involved.
In the Old Testament, is a somewhat similar story of how a plan of revenge
backfired. In the book of Esther, we are told of the wicked Haman and righteous
Mordecai. Haman was jealous of Mordecai, and Haman was a power hungry, greedy
man who would do anything for power and wealth. It was Haman’s plan for the
Jews to be destroyed and for their property to be taken. It was Haman’s plan
for Mordecai to be hung, and he even had the gallows built for Mordecai’s
hanging. God’s placement of Esther as the new queen, and her courage in
approaching the king with the evil of Haman’s plan thwarted it all; and Haman
ended up being hung instead of Mordecai.
When we try to get even with, or get back at others, often we only succeed in
hurting ourselves. Craig Aylesworth and Haman both did a good job of hurting
themselves, instead of their intended victims.
Instead of our taking the matter of revenge into our own hands, we are told “do not
avenge yourselves.” Instead of getting even, we are told to “as much as
depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Instead
of hurting our enemies, we are told to “feed him; if he is thirsty,
give him a drink.” David took this path in his relationship with King Saul. David
refused to kill his enemy because Saul was the Lord’s anointed. Here’s what
David said to Abishai one of his mighty men who wanted to kill Saul, “‘Do not
destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and
be guiltless?’ David said furthermore, ‘As the Lord lives, the Lord shall
strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and
perish (1 Samuel 26:9-10).’” David had faith that God would
take care of King Saul when the right time came and that it would only bring
guilt on himself by killing Saul.
When Judas came with the chief priests, elders and a great number of people
armed with swords and clubs to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword ready to
fight. However, Jesus said this, “Put your sword in its place, for
all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot
now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of
angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?
(Matthew 26:52-54).” Jesus could have utterly destroyed his
physical enemies, but instead He willingly went to the cross suffering and
dying for the sins of all people; past, present, and future - by refusing to
fight back Jesus eternally defeated death.
Revenge belongs to God and when we try to get back at someone we are inviting
disaster into our lives. Let go of the wrongs that have been committed against
you, and place them into the hands of God; when you do so, you will have peace,
and the blessing of God upon your life.
Copyright © 2009-2015. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
these first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.
Visit the
Burning Bush websites:
The Burning Bush websites
received visits from 184 countries in 2015 including from 27 cities in Iran.
Celebrating 16 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than
14,000 subscribers across the world.
You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.
There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of all of the pages.
Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105
Prayer Requests: Please pray for
an end to the racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace
and love. Please pray for Justin Lewis who is battling cancer. He is a young
Christian man with a wife and two children. Unless God intervenes there is
little hope for him. Please also pray for Shane Hall who has cancer and for all
those afflicted with this terrible disease. My sister, Reta, is also in need of
prayer, she has stage four renal carcinoma and will have surgery soon to remove
a kidney. Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the
Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I
am always in need of prayer - please pray for me.).
If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org
There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.
Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.
You can unsubscribe to the
burningbushdevo devotional group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.
You may subscribe to the html
text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is only being sent now
in html format) by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org
and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.
If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.
--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org