28/02/2026
: SELF-JUSTICE MEANS PUTTING GOD IN SECOND PLACE.
This person has hurt you, scorned you, slandered you, or criticized you. They are hurting you, they have said hurtful things to you; it has ruined your reputation or affected you publicly. They have hurt you so much, and you feel so offended that you resent them deeply. So, you already have your own idea of how you are going to make them pay for this affront; and for you, it would only be just to get revenge and treat this person according to what their bad attitude deserves.
Suddenly, the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart, reminding you of the Scriptures and asking you to forgive. Even more, He asks you to love this person, to smile at them, to continue talking to them, and to continue behaving toward them as if they had never hurt you before. You feel that this is beyond your strength; you find it so unfair. Because, for you, justice would mean that this person suffers as much as they made you suffer.
So, some questions deserve to be asked: - Do you love God more than anything? - Does your relationship with the Lord come before all other relationships? - Is the joy of your Creator's heart more important than anything else?
If God is paramount in our lives, if we love Him more than anything, if we want to gladden His heart, if our relationship with Him comes before all others, then no matter what we have suffered or what we feel, our attitude or reaction must always aim to please God. If forgiving pleases God, then I forgive. If revenge or holding a grudge grieves the Lord, no matter what I feel, it is what God feels that matters and comes first.
Indeed, when we react because of what we feel without considering how God would feel about our reaction, we are putting God second. Taking justice into our own hands means depriving ourselves of the privilege of seeing God give us justice.
Moreover, when you seem to react to restore justice, it becomes "your own justice," and God says, "...all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..." (Isaiah 64:6).
Let us pray together:
Lord Jesus, grant me from this day forward the grace to consider your interests before taking any action. Forgive me my impulsiveness and my vengeful spirit of the past. Help me to embrace your mindset. Help me to accept being wrong in order to gain reason. Yes, I know that beyond the offense committed against me lies the salvation of a soul. Yes, for me, pleasing you has become my obsession.
Amen!
God bless you!
By Eudes Léonel OTIRA
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