God of Love, God of Justice
By Rick Warren
“Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” Romans 12:19 (ESV)
Life is not fair. God never said it would be!
Life is unfair because there is sin in the world. Jesus came to make things right, and, one day, they will be. But, right now, sometimes bad people prosper. Sometimes good people suffer. Sometimes innocent people get hurt.
If you have been discriminated against because of your race, culture, language, or gender, if you've been abused, if you have been harassed or mistreated—that breaks my heart, and I am sorry for your hurt.
We should do whatever we can to correct injustice. But there's something even more important than the way I feel about it. It's the way God feels about it. God has seen every hurt in your life, and he grieves over injustice, too.
When somebody asks me, “Where was God when your son died?” I say, “He was at the same place he was when his Son died—grieving over man's inhumanity to humanity.”
So why didn’t he stop it? God could stop all the evil in the world just like that. But it would mean taking away our freedom to choose.
God may not stop a hurt from happening, but God is keeping a record. Not only that, but he’s “storing up your tears in a bottle” (Psalm 56:8).The Bible also says, “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:19 ESV).
Because God is loving, he is also a God of justice. To allow evil to hurt his children and not seek justice would be unloving.
Since God seeks justice, you don’t have to spend your life holding on to hurts. In fact, God doesn’t want you to waste one second of your life on resentment, retaliation, or revenge. That's just going to fill you with the poison of bitterness. Don’t waste your life on bitterness!
Some of you are allowing people who hurt you 10 years ago to still hurt you today because you're holding on to the memory of that hurt. That's foolish! They can only hurt you when you choose to hold on to the hurt. You have to let it go.
Justice delayed is not justice denied. God is very aware of what people have done to you, and there will be a day of reckoning.
Do you trust him? If you do, you'll let it go. Surrender your hurt to Jesus, and let him settle the score.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Be Encouraged Each Day to Live Out God’s Purposes
As thanks for your gift below to help share the gospel with more people around the world through Daily Hope, we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s new book, Daily Hope Devotional: 365 Days of Purpose, Peace, and Promise.
Each devotional starts out with a Bible verse, followed by teaching that explains God’s Word and shows you how to apply it daily so you can face any challenge and live the life you were created to live.
As a special bonus when you give, we’ll also send you What's Driving Your Life?: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start. Featuring 10 hand-picked devotions from Pastor Rick’s new book, they’ll guide anyone feeling stressed, worried, or discouraged toward seeking God for a fresh start.
Request your copy below when you give—and take the first step towards a year of real purpose, lasting peace, and unfailing promises.
Thank you for your partnership!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.