Joy (rejoicing) is sweet and good. It does good to the heart. The Proverbs says:
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones,
Proverbs 17:22 (KJV).
However, there are two kinds of rejoicing: Godly rejoicing and Ungodly rejoicing. Everyone has a right to rejoice over answers to prayer, victories won, thwarted plan of enemies, destroyed yokes, broken snares, and our delivered souls. Why won’t believers rejoice when “our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped”, Psalms 124:7(KJV). This type of rejoicing is about the goodness around us and around one another. We breathe in liberation with a deep sense of love and appreciation for God’s goodness.
But when our hearts secretly wait and leap for joy at the trip or failure of those who do not agree with or share our vision and passion, then that heart needs emergency surgery. It couldn’t have been a replicate of Christ’s heart in Christians. Thank God, the heavenly clinic is always open. It is a 24/7 walk-in: no appointment required.
How about the really bad people and those that have probably sold out their souls to the enemy to consistently perpetrate evil? Or worse still, those who have probably reached the stage of apostasy? It is the responsibility of God to handle that, and He will. Surely, the wicked will reap the fruits of their evil doings, especially if they refuse to repent. The Bible says in Proverbs 11:21: “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered”. We must however understand that vengeance belongs to God, not us. Otherwise, we would have all died before the day of our mercy and redemption.
Every drop of tear that falls from the eye of a child of God as a result of the affliction inflicted by the enemies is highly explosive. It presents a dangerous case against those enemies. That is why Christians must prioritize weapons of prayers over some human ways of fighting back.
Christians must not forget that Christianity was founded upon love; John 3:16. And that “… God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. Romans 5:8 (KJV), thus the reason for the Easter period. When Christ yielded His spirit on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn apart, the barrier was taken down. The Earth shook at the face of the earthquake and mercy spread across the Nations of the world. Both Jews and Gentiles can now draw from the Well of mercy, grace, and love.
The days of swords and arrows were gone when Christ gave His life for all and the Kingdom of mercy and love was established. Otherwise, none of us is justified.
This is the counsel of Jesus Christ to His followers, Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
In our love for human beings, we should never forget the counsel of the Master: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”, Matthew 10:16.
LIVING WORDS OF LIFE 