RESPOND WITH BLESSING
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:14-18 (NIV)
It happened in a moment. Someone had been insulting and threatening me. I saw him with his friends, and I had a choice to make. Instead of moving on, I confronted and challenged him. I chose to answer his anger and hate with my own anger and hate. This was before I was a believer.
When we follow Jesus, we don't see people in the same way or respond to things as we did before. We live contrary to what the world expects. Repaying evil with goodness, blessing and love is mind-blowing to the culture. We are transformed!
The apostle Paul is one of the best examples of transformation in the Bible. As a pharisee, he was devoted to killing those who followed Jesus' teachings. Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and became a believer. Neither the Jews nor the new Christians knew what to do because he now preached Jesus as the Messiah. Paul changed how he dealt with people, not answering evil and violence with the same.
As we go through our days, we face the choice of how we react to people around us. Scripture is clear about how we are to respond. We are to live in peace and harmony with those around us, not thinking that we are better than others. The enemy uses anger, hate and evil to divide us, so we must be on guard.
APPLICATION: Seek opportunities to show God's love to others, even when they might not show it to you. If someone yells at you or is hateful, don't give it back to them in anger. Respond with love and blessing and invite God into the moment.
PRAYER: God, it is so hard some days to respond as You call me to. Help me to love everyone as You love them, not repaying evil and hate in kind. Please give me strength to not respond in my flesh, but as You would. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?