Through the Eyes of Grace

 1 Thess 5:15
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

The old saying, “I don’t get mad, I get even” is what Paul was referring to when he wrote down the word, see that none renders evil for evil. The human reaction to being wrong is to strike back. That is the carnal and natural man's response, but the spiritual man sees people through the eyes of grace, and follows that which is good. “Do good to those who persecute you.” The words of Christ, as He preached on the Sermon on the Mount. Turning the cheek towards those that despise and hate you because you stand for truth and seek to live as Christ lives is made possible because the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to love and forgive. This is not to say that we should not defend ourselves and our family from being hurt, but when situations are out of our control, we trust God to take care of us. Most people render evil because they have hate in their heart and sin causes them to hurt others. It is the grace of God that is able to change this heart, and we are the light of the world to show others there is another way to live. We can live to show love and kindness to all men, even in times when evil is being rendered to us.