When we are wronged, what do we do? And, as dads, when our kids are wronged, what do we teach them to do? (That first question kinda answers the second one, btw). I’ve enjoyed my Bible in One Year reading plan with Alpha founder Nicky Gumbel. In it, he said, “To return evil for good is demonic. To return good for good is human. To return good for evil is the way of Jesus.” Jesus told us to turn the other cheek (Matt 5:39), and, Paul reminded us not to return evil for evil or seek revenge (Rom 12:17-19). We need to help our children (and ourselves!) be reminded that this get-mine, paypack, anger-driven culture is not operating on the Jesus OS. It’s operating in its own worldly manner, as usual, and when we’re wronged, we need to follow the path of Jesus, not the course of our culture. Obviously, this isn’t to allow for abuse or dangerous situations, but, let’s be honest – those aren’t the wrongs we’re normally trying to seek payback for, are they? Usually, it’s far less egregious issues like we didn’t get our Amazon shipment on time, or our latte didn’t have enough foam or our adult children didn’t call us quickly enough on our birthday. Dads, each time we react hatefully or selfishly when we are “wronged,” we’re giving our kids the green light to go down that same road.

7 ways to serve God faithfully: If being a servant of God makes you think of guys in long robes eating bugs or calling down fire from heaven, think again. Serving God isn’t about performing miracles. It’s not even about preaching great sermons. It’s about using the gifts and abilities God provides to bring Him glory. And getting started in serving Him is a lot simpler than you might imagine.

Proverbs 16: Taking steps to understand our motives: As guys, we like to act like we have it all together. But more times than we’d like to admit, our greatest enemy is the guy staring back at us from the mirror. Whether we’re dealing with a spirit of bitterness or trying to make ourselves look better, our own arrogance and judgmental attitudes toward others often keep us from being the men God created us to be. Solomon understood that character flaw as well as anyone. In today’s episode, we’ll see how he addressed it in our ongoing study of Proverbs 16.

“Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Revenge, lust, ambition, pride, and self-will are too often exalted as the gods of man’s idolatry; while holiness, peace, contentment, and humility are viewed as unworthy of a serious thought.” – Charles Spurgeon

“While seeking revenge, dig two graves – one for yourself.” – Douglas Horton

Choose a new path. Have you been wronged this week? Today? Five minutes ago? What is your heart or mind telling you to do? Is that advice gospel-informed or culturally-approved? Odds are, if you’re like me, there’s a (selfish) voice inside telling you to lash out, be resentful or plot your revenge. Yet, the Holy Spirit is whispering, offering you an alternative. The way of Christ that overlooks an offense and conquers all with HIS love. Listen well.

Kent Evans
Author of The Manhood Journey, co-founder of Manhood Journey and Father On Purpose.

P.S. Was this Mountain Monday helpful? Tell me if you love it, hate it, or if there’s something you’d like in the next one.

Forward this to a dad you know who needs some encouragement.