Who Me?

I've been really fussy about a few people lately who seem to be going out of their way to irritate me. My preacher friend has done an excellent series on forgiveness and I understand the principle of forgiving others so I can be forgiven by God. I've also had all of the teachings about praying for your enemies and heaping coals on their heads...which at times has seemed too good for them. So I have to dig a little and remember all of the sermons I've taken in on the subject of mercy. What I'm saying is that I KNOW all of these lessons. Walking them out is another matter. The most important thing is for me, believe it or not, to have a pure heart before God. I've often wrestled with this because I can make myself do the right thing at a later date after having a few days to vex myself over the wrongs they've done to me (and what I'd like to see happen to them)...in the flesh of course. THEN...I take it to the Lord.

It has become increasingly clear that God doesn't approve of this plan of mine. It also occurred to me that in praying for the offenders I have to have give them to God and He might not handle them with the severity they deserve. I'm sure it's just my old carnal self that really wants to see them at least suffer a little. But then I have to go back to what's important and that would be my pure heart before God. Once again I repent, I ask forgiveness, I ask for the strength through the Spirit to take those thoughts of my wounding captive when they surface. And then I pray...for them. It also occurred to me, who might be praying for these people on any given day for any given reason? Hmmm...I think I know who ought to be!