“When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, ‘Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.’” – 1 Samuel 25:39a

The foolish Nabal had viciously and publicly insulted David. In his flesh, David had been eager to deal with the man himself. He’d gathered his troops to bring death to the house of Nabal. Thankfully, the wise Abigail intervened and persuaded David not to sinfully repay Nabal’s insult with mass murder. God Himself later dealt with Nabal and his ungodly pride, greed, and selfishness. In doing this, the Lord reminded David of a fundamental biblical principle: God’s people must not be in the business of revenge. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, and only the Lord, because only He can handle it justly and without sin.

What was clear in the Old Testament was made even more explicit by Jesus. Followers of Jesus are to turn the other cheek. We are to repay evil with good. We are to make peace, not escalate conflict. We are to seek reconciliation and practice forgiveness rather than hold onto bitterness. We are not to indulge our sinful flesh by avenging ourselves. All those who trust Jesus with their life must also trust Him to act with perfect justice in His perfect timing rather than their flawed sense of justice and their preferred timing.

Christians must not be eager to deal in violence, death, and destruction. That is not the way of Jesus. Don’t follow the instincts of your flesh when it cries out for revenge. Don’t follow a culture that so often howls for blood. Follow Jesus to the cross every single day, trusting that God’s coming justice and timing will be perfect and everlasting. #FollowJesus

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!”
– Psalm 141:3

This is a fantastic prayer! The Bible – Old Testament and New – is incredibly clear from beginning to end about the terrible, destructive, and even demonic power of what comes out of our mouths. Jesus said that what comes out of our mouths reflects the reality of our hearts. James described the tongue as a fire that burns down our lives, a restless evil filled with poison.

What about YOUR words? What you speak? What you sing along to? What you type or text? What you like or share? Is this an area where you struggle with sin? What about when you’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired? Have you confirmed your answer with God?

May we all take the words of Scripture seriously and guard our mouths. May we stop any toxic words that would flow from our tongues (or fingers if we use technology). Let us regularly ask God, with utmost seriousness, to actively guard our mouths from sin. To watch the door of our lips so that nothing vile would burst forth or sneak out. In our present age of manufactured algorithmic outrage, Christians need to pray this prayer with greater urgency than ever before. We must be different from everyone else! #FollowJesus

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?”
– Psalm 27:1

God is bigger than any problem or any opponent you’ll ever face in life. Never forget that. Because humans are so strongly tied to our senses, the visible, obvious things that make us afraid seem massive and insurmountable. But our invisible God is infinitely bigger and stronger than all those things.

The world loves to stoke fear and anger. Draw near to God and find peace and comfort, instead! It’s not that there aren’t dangerous things in the world, but followers of Jesus don’t need to be controlled by fear of them. In Christ, we are eternally secure. God is with us and in us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Spend quality time with God every day and throughout the day. Read and meditate on His Word. Pray and still your soul in His presence. He is your light and salvation if Jesus is your Lord. Make Him your refuge, fortress, and stronghold, no matter what may threaten you here on earth. #FollowJesus

“He said to David, ‘You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.’ – 1 Samuel 24:17

This is at the heart of what made King David, for all his later failures, a man after God’s own heart. This is also what makes him one of the Old Testament’s clearest forerunners of Christ. He didn’t give King Saul what he deserved, which was death. He didn’t seek revenge for the years Saul had taken from him. David trusted God to make all things right in His perfect timing.

So, David spent years on the run. Living in caves, hiding in forests, traveling throughout the region as Saul’s army searched for him. Separated from his family and in constant danger of death at any moment. However, David didn’t harbor ill-will or bitterness toward the man who unjustly pursued him. And like Jesus, David refused to take the shortcut to what he knew to be God’s will – the crown of Israel.

In his faithful patience, obedience, and integrity in the face of opposition, David revealed the character of Jesus a thousand years before He entered the world. David showed us what God values most – not external appearances or effectiveness in war but a faithful heart. Gentleness, grace, and mercy in the face of suffering and injustice. Love and respect for others, even when they don’t deserve it.

That is what Jesus always demonstrates toward us, even though our sins nailed Him to a cross. Because this is how Jesus lives and loves people under every circumstance, this is also what He commands and calls all who follow Him to live by. Do not repay evil for evil. Repay with good. #FollowJesus

“The Lord tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.”
– Psalm 11:5

A helpful, and straightforward, reminder…

The righteous will be examined, tested, and evaluated. They will experience long seasons of stress, difficulty, pressure, suffering, and persecution which will prove, refine, and strengthen their righteous character in the Lord for all to see.

The wicked – HATED by the Lord. That isn’t popular to say in our culture, but it’s certainly biblical.

Those who love violence, who are excited by the prospect, seek it out, delight in it, and perhaps even pray for it – HATED by the Lord.

Be righteous. Don’t be wicked. Don’t love violence. #FollowJesus