| “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:21 |
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| A DIFFERENT RESPONSE TO EVIL As we encounter evil that is directed at us the Apostle Paul gives us two commands for responding and those 2 commands will bring about the most unusual of responses. First is the command to NOT BE OVERCOME BY EVIL. The second is to OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD. Let’s look closely at both because both are going to be needed. The verse begins with the strongest of admonishments to not allow EVIL to get the best of us. No matter what evil is done to us we do not let it DEFEAT US. Proverbs 24:10 “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Romans 8:37 tells us, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” As we do not let evil drag us down to defeat we also do not let evil DRAG US DOWN to its level. Looking back at Romans 12:17 we are reminded that we are not, ABSOLUTELY NOT, to repay evil with evil. As the old saying goes, two WRONGS do not make a right. While wrong is being done we must continue to do RIGHT. For the believer to do evil betrays our testimony and gives evil a win. So, number 1, we will not be overcome by evil. We will not be defeated by it nor drawn down to its level. The second command is to TAKE POSITIVE ACTION and do GOOD to those who are doing evil TO YOU and others. One OVERCOMES (defeats, wins) against evil by DOING GOOD. It is helping the very person who is hurting you. It is praying for the very ones that are persecuting you. It is blessing the very one that is cursing you. It is giving a cup of cold water and a hot meal to the one who would like to starve you to death. It is being nice to the one who is mean. Are you getting the picture? You overcome evil by DOING GOOD!! And yes, I know what has been written is HARD. It is easy to give up when evil is done to you. It is easy to give in to doing evil when evil has been done to you. And it surely is hard to be nice to a mean person. Yet this is what we are called to do. We are called to be different in our response to evil by being OVERCOMERS OF EVIL, not overcome by evil. Verse to DATE the Word on December 21 (12/21) is Romans 12:21. It says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” In a world filled with evil be different and do good to those doing evil. Continue Strong as an OVERCOMER of EVIL! And remember to DATE THE WORD |