Justice or Revenge

1 Thessalonians 5:15: Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

Welcome back to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.

Have you ever been tempted to serve revenge? The overabundance of crookedness, wickedness, and injustice that has invaded our world, can push you towards revenge. I have on more than one occasion been tempted to mete out my own form of justice, yet in the end it would hurt me more than the guilty party.

In the novel Falling for the Cowgirl, Jericho retrains himself from serving revenge rather than justice.

As much as Jericho wanted to make the man suffer for all he’d done, he couldn’t let revenge have a greater need inside him than justice. After all, revenge had to do with payback for selfish satisfaction. But justice was about righting wrongs for the good of everyone.

(p. 256 Falling for the Cowgirl by Jody Hedlund)

Justice is for the good of everyone. I love the way Jody Hedlund worded this. Revenge is payback that brings self-satisfaction, for a fleeting moment. That satisfaction never lasts and ends up eating away at you. However, when justice is served, it rights wrongs and brings peace and goodness to everyone.

If you’re like me, it feels like justice is nowhere in sight these days. However, I believe it lies within the hearts of those of us who serve God and call Him our Lord and Savior. Because of our relationship with Him and His word, which is our standard of truth and justice, we can bring justice back into this world by standing up for what is right in the eyes of God.

Our flesh will always desire revenge, but when we serve justice it points others to Christ. Remember Deuteronomy 32:35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them. God will avenge his people.

In the meantime, find peace and strength in 1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. Trust me the enemy doesn’t know what to do when you turn around and show them kindness.

I will leave you with this thought: Revenge never leaves you feeling good, yet just justice brings goodness to everyone.