I'm glad you can join us for today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Sheridan Voizzi, and I've titled Our Reading Today, Not Seeking Revenge.

The farmer climbed into his truck and began his morning inspection of the crops.

On reaching the farthest edge of the property, his blood began to boil.

Someone had used the farm's seclusion to illegally dump their trash.

Again.

As he filled the truck with the bags of food scraps, the farmer found an envelope.

On it was printed the offender's address. Here was an

opportunity too good to ignore. That night he drove to the offender's house and filled his

garden with not just the dumped trash, but his own. Revenge is sweet, some say. But is it right?

In 1 Samuel 24, David and his men were hiding in a cave to

escape a murderous King Saul. When Saul wandered into the same cave to relieve himself,

David's men saw a too good to ignore opportunity for David to get revenge. But David went against

this desire to get even.

The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, he said.

When Saul discovered that David chose to spare his life, he was incredulous.

You are more righteous than I, he exclaimed.

As we or our loved ones face injustice, opportunities to take revenge on offenders may well come.

Will we give in to these desires, as the farmer did, or go against them, like David?

Will we choose righteousness over revenge.

Today's scripture reading is from 1 Samuel chapter 24, verses 1 to 4 and 14 to 18.

After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, David is in the desert of Engadai.

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