Romans 12:21
"Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." We can do this, friends!
As Christians, we see bad everywhere. We see evil lurking in almost every corner, engulfing our cities, and bursting through our news. I would say that too often our response is no better than the evil we are witnessing. Too often, we see injustice done by a human, and we curse and hate the "criminal" or "doer." But is that not evil itself? To curse and to hate?
When my family {or anyone} hurts me and brings me pain, my first response isn't always to conquer that evil and pain by doing good. It isn't usually to pray that God will bless them, "turn my cheek," being patient and kind, or putting on the eyes of Jesus Christ and seeing the evil-doer as human. My first response is all too often to throw pain right back, whether through a facial expression, hurtful words, or even my thoughts. When I respond to evil with evil, I am believing that the way of Satan is better and will accomplish more than the way of Christ. In that, I am being conquered by evil. No evil will accomplish any good. I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit, giving me access to the strength needed for this.
May we accept this invitation to conquer evil by doing good. Let's submit to Jesus, who knows what's best for our hearts. May we walk in the purest Love, pouring His beautiful and loving Spirit out, destroying the very evil that threatens our joy.
