Today’s Scripture
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 12:14-21 (NLT)
Big Idea
With God’s help, you can be prepared for rough, difficult, challenging moments in life.
Today’s Thought
Maybe you’ve had a relatively “easy” life so far. Your parents are happily married, none of your close friends or relatives have died, you’ve experienced good health, and you’ve developed deep friendships with people you’ll probably know for the rest of your life.
But maybe you’ve already gotten a firsthand lesson in how tough life can be. You’ve experienced times when circumstances went against you — and when people worked against you. You’ve been wronged and hurt and ignored and criticized. You’ve lost loved ones who helped shape your world. Your parents’ marriage crumbled in front of your eyes.
Your friends may not even realize how painful and challenging your life has been — but God knows.
Bad things will happen to good people. How do you choose to supernaturally respond to the evil that is aimed at you?
In these verses from Romans 12, Paul is telling us to be ready for the “junk” in life. He encourages Christians to know how to respond in inevitable situations — times we want revenge against others, times we’re persecuted for our faith, times we and our friends will weep and rejoice, times we will encounter evil.
Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 12:14-21 (NLT)
Big Idea
With God’s help, you can be prepared for rough, difficult, challenging moments in life.
Today’s Thought
Maybe you’ve had a relatively “easy” life so far. Your parents are happily married, none of your close friends or relatives have died, you’ve experienced good health, and you’ve developed deep friendships with people you’ll probably know for the rest of your life.
But maybe you’ve already gotten a firsthand lesson in how tough life can be. You’ve experienced times when circumstances went against you — and when people worked against you. You’ve been wronged and hurt and ignored and criticized. You’ve lost loved ones who helped shape your world. Your parents’ marriage crumbled in front of your eyes.
Your friends may not even realize how painful and challenging your life has been — but God knows.
Bad things will happen to good people. How do you choose to supernaturally respond to the evil that is aimed at you?
In these verses from Romans 12, Paul is telling us to be ready for the “junk” in life. He encourages Christians to know how to respond in inevitable situations — times we want revenge against others, times we’re persecuted for our faith, times we and our friends will weep and rejoice, times we will encounter evil.
This is really good news, in a way. It helps us avoid the temptation to run away
from challenging situations or difficult people. We could read these verses and
say, “OK, I’ll just have two friends all life, I’ll move to a tiny town in the middle
of nowhere, and I won’t let the evil of this world get near me at all.” Sorry. That
strategy won’t work.
That’s why Paul’s strategy — it’s actually Jesus’ strategy — is a better choice. Life isn’t always fair. But as r12 Christians, our response to evil and difficulties and challenges can reveal God’s work in our lives. And that’s a pretty good path to travel.
Prayer
God, I’d like everything to work perfectly in my life, but I recognize this won’t happen. Help me learn the spiritual lessons You want me to learn when I feel evil working against me. Give me Your strength to endure, and help me to become more like You through the whole process. Amen.
That’s why Paul’s strategy — it’s actually Jesus’ strategy — is a better choice. Life isn’t always fair. But as r12 Christians, our response to evil and difficulties and challenges can reveal God’s work in our lives. And that’s a pretty good path to travel.
Prayer
God, I’d like everything to work perfectly in my life, but I recognize this won’t happen. Help me learn the spiritual lessons You want me to learn when I feel evil working against me. Give me Your strength to endure, and help me to become more like You through the whole process. Amen.
Read it. :)- Jasmin
ReplyDeleteI read this earlier but i just forgot to post it :P
ReplyDeleteI read it :)- gabby
ReplyDelete