Tuesday; May 19
The other day I came across a couple of things that seemed to diminish what I had been doing. I set out to go out of my way to do something special for people only to be critiqued (and maybe even criticized) for what I had done. When this happened a few things came to mind: the first was the saying, “No good deed goes unpunished” … and the second was the temptation to exact revenge on those who criticized me. Thankfully, I was working on a sermon that reminded me of Paul’s words, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:19-20). Interestingly, one other reminder came from one of those pithy posters entitled, “Do Good Anyway” (or “The Paradoxical Commandments”). While the origin of the work has been attributed to various people, a co...