Daily Devotional

When someone hurts or wrongs us, it’s often our instinct to get upset and even return that hurt in some cases. Nowhere is this more evident in my life than when I’m driving. I don’t know what it is about traffic, but often when someone cuts me off or even drives 15mph below the limit in front of me, it takes every ounce of strength not to pull up alongside the individual and just stare. If you’re anything like me, when we are hurt by others, we convince ourselves that getting back at them will help us right the wrongs we’ve experienced.
 
Another thing about me is I’m a big Marvel Cinematic Universe fan and we see this type of behavior with villains all the time. In the 2018 film Black Panther, the antagonist was a man named Eric Kilmonger. As Eric sought justice for his father’s death, his anger festered and transformed into bitterness, jealousy, and hatred that hurt himself and everyone around him. And if we’re not careful, it’s easy for us to do the same and retaliate against people we believe hurt us while doing all kinds of damage in the process.
 
However, in Jesus, God shows us a different way. Instead of retaliation, we are invited to receive the grace Jesus offered everyone. Then, once we’ve received it, even when we are angry, the call is for us to pass on Christ’s grace to others. My prayer is that the next time you find yourself angered, consider passing on the same grace God has given you to those who have wronged you. May we remember today that because of Jesus even when we’re angry, we can still show grace.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.