Fight Fire with Fire

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. (Psalm 5:4)

Fight fire with fire, the old adage goes. Unfortunately, for us as men, that's usually an "eye for an eye" from the perspective of a sin-filled heart. With our fire, there are casualties we don't see because of our rage or our anger, borne from sin.

God hates sin, but not in a sinful way. His actions are just and righteous because He is holy. Our God is "holy." In Leviticus 19:2 we read, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."

We are justified by faith, but we pray for sanctification. That is, we pray to be more holy, by imitating and following Christ. We are only holy and blameless when we are robed in Christ, so our prayer is to be more Christ-like.

Gracious Father, Holy Lord, Forgive my sin. Help me to forgive those who sin against me and to help people forgive me whom I've sinned against. Your grace is made possible by Your Son, whom You sent, to suffer, die and be raised again from the dead to pay the price for us. For that, we give thanks. In Christ's most precious and holy name, Amen.