Yesterday, we talked about God’s view of injustice and slavery and we looked at how His love for us never wavers, even when we are being mistreated. Today, I want to talk about how this is possible. 

Viktor Frankl, an Austrian Jew who was imprisoned in a concentration camp during the Second World War, once wrote about his experience that, “The one thing they can’t take away from me is my ability to choose how I will respond.” This is the same sentiment that Paul asserts when he writes the letter to the Colossians. He understands that he’s not supposed to charge the slaves in the church to create some kind of army to overthrow their masters. Instead, he gives them a gift; he inspires them to use the power of love to be a conduit of God’s transforming power in the lives of the ones who are mistreating them. You see, it’s comforting to know that nothing escapes the Lord’s watch and that anyone who does wrong will ultimately be held accountable by Him, not by us. In the Kingdom of God, if you do wrong, you will be punished, that’s for certain. However, being the face of Jesus’ mercy gives the perpetrators of injustice a glimpse of Heaven, and from that, they may just repent and embrace a new life! 

Friend, if Paul could love his prison guards, even when they spat on him, and if Jesus Christ could love the people who crucified Him, and hung Him naked on a cross, you can love the ones who do you wrong! Whether at work, school, on the road, or at home, you can “power up,” not by using force or retaliation, but by showing mercy and unconditional love. Be the grace-filled presence of Jesus to someone who needs it, and even if you don’t see it, I promise that it will have an eternal impact! Isn’t that great news?