Letting God Take Care Of It

I'm human.... big shocker, I know....

No, seriously, I struggle with forgiving as much as anyone. But today, 2 Timothy 4:14 stood out to me and it made an impact...

I told the hubby and kids, from now on, when ever I feel wronged by someone, I am gonna say "...the Lord reward him according to his works."

So many times, we hold grudges against people, fretting over how we've been wronged, etc. When in reality, if we just leave it in God's hands, we can know that God will take care of it fully...

"Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: You also must beware of him..." - 2 Timothy 4: 14-15a

It is a certainty of life, that sooner or later we will be hurt by someone else. Sometimes people hurt us accidently, other times it is intentional. Sometimes they hurt us by their actions, other times it is by their words. At times, the wounds are superficial and heal quickly and at other times they are deep and scar us for the rest of our lives. However you want to say it, you can just be assured at sometime in your life, you are going to be hurt by another person. I have been.

What exactly did Alexander do to Paul? We have absolutely no idea -- Paul never tells Timothy or the readers of his letter. The word translated "harm" is the Greek word kakos - which means: "something which is depraved or evil." The word translated "much" can mean: "a large amount or something which occurs many times." Whatever Alexander did to Paul, it was no small thing. It was deeply hurtful and must have either been done repeatedly or it was something that had a long lasting effect.

Here, we learn an important principle, Paul refused to dwell on what had happened to him. He refused to allow bitterness and hatred to crawl into his brain.

People will slander you. They will exclude you from their group. You will be criticized unjustly. Another worker might block you from a promotion. The one family member you think would never disappoint you might someday betray you. A fellow Christian whom you love and respect may hurt you very badly. What in the world can we do when other people hurt us with their words and their actions?

Refuse to become angry and bitter.

The fastest way to become embittered is to dwell on the wrong others have done to you. Paul learned to forgive and forget and go on down the road of life. You know that you are on the road to bitterness when you continually review and rehearse the video tape in your brain of what was done to you. It is watched, and then rewound, and watched again and again.

The effect of wrath and bitterness can be deadly. Most of us have seen the signs placed on trucks and other vessels carrying hazardous materials. The acid we carry around when we are bitter will invariably spill as much on us as it will be poured on the one who has harmed us. Anger and bitterness and stress will physically increase your blood pressure, emotionally lead you into depression, spiritually sour your worship and prayer. Carrying a grudge is a loser's game. The grudge you carry will end up causing more pain and frustration than the original pain inflicted on you. 

Leave the revenge to the Lord...

Romans 12:19-20 "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves.... for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord."

The word "avenge" is the Greek ekdikeo which means: "to vindicate one's rights, to punish a person."

Did you see the secret to Paul being able to let go of the wrong brought upon him by Alexander? He said,

"May the Lord repay him according to his works."

The Lord reward him according to his works; It is the language of one who wished that God would treat him exactly as he ought to be treated.

It should be the aim of every just government that every one should be treated exactly as he deserves; and every good citizen should desire and pray that exact justice may be done to all. It is the business of a police officer to ferret out the guilty, to bring them to trial, to secure a just sentence; This should be done with the most earnest desire for the welfare of all.

It is not wrong to desire or to pray that justice may be done, and that every man may be treated as, under all the circumstances of the case, he ought to be treated.

I am afraid that we sometimes have given people the impression that if you love God enough, you will just forgive the person and go on as if nothing really happened. What we have failed to state is that, yes, often what that person did to you was indeed terrible and should be punished. That is the reason we hurt so badly. We know that an injustice has been done and that it should be punished. But, it is one thing to acknowledge that God ought to punish that person, and a far different thing to decide to become God and do the punishing for him. Forgiveness does not mean that the injustice did not occur or that it should not be punished. But it is coming to the place and point of trusting that God is much better at administering justice than we are. Forgiveness means deferring the scales of justice to him. That may be the most difficult thing in life to do.

And lastly, 2 Timothy 4: 15a says "You also must beware of him..."  

There is absolutely nothing wrong with telling someone what someone has done or warning someone of the evil or wrong doings that person has done to you or could do to them.

They key is.... after you warn others, just leave it to God, 'cause he's got this!

This blog post has been modified and condensed to get to the of what my thoughts on this Bible verse are. You can read the full article at:

https://www.bereanbiblechurch.org/transcripts/2timothy/when_they_hurt_you.htm