Malice is an active will and desire to harm someone. During worship on a Sunday morning we may judge ourselves to be free from such wicked desires. But if someone traps us in a corner and begins to tell us what they think of us in no uncertain negative terms, the temptation toward malice is more likely to become evident.
How can we overcome the temptation in that moment? Unless we are already founded in the grace of God toward us, we will lash out in return. But if we have made it our habit of dwelling on the magnificent grace granted toward us, we will more often respond as Jesus did, “Father forgive them because they don’t understand what they are doing.”
