Don’t you just love this sort of challenge from Jesus? When someone hurts or mistreats us, the last thing we want to do is to bless them or pray for them. No thank you! It is our nature to lash out and seek retribution for the pain inflicted by another.

However, when we move into a salvation relationship with Christ, our nature is supposed to change. We’re told that God will handle vengeance for things done to His children, but we have a hard time letting go of that.

Who hasn’t heard that he said “this and this” about us and our first reply is, “Oh yeah? Well, he did that and that!” certain that our tit-for-tat response will put them in their place and set things aright. Trouble is, all that does is start a battle that has no viable ending. As believers, that is all shades of wrong. Read John 13:34-35.

No. It is not okay to not bless and pray if the person is a non-believer. Your behavior still shows whether you’re really a follower of Jesus or not. Besides, Jesus said to do it. Not doing it is disobedience to the Savior. Do you really want to go there?

Next time someone says or does something hurtful to you – reviles, reproaches, disparages, or high-handedly misuses you, bless them. Not the Southernism, a true blessing where you ask God to give them help and happiness. Keep going and implore God’s blessing for that person, asking His favor on them.

Yep. It will feel wrong. Nope. It is not wrong. This is acting like Jesus. This is revealing God to a lost and dying world. This is acting in God’s will. We can do this. We must do this.

Allow me to just leave you with the Amplified Version’s translation of the original language: “Invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness of those who curse you, implore God’s blessing/favor upon those who abuse you, who revile, reproach, disparage, and high-handedly misuse you.”

Coffee, Bible, Journal.