14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live 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!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 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,”[g]
says the Lord.
20 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.”[h]
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
4 comments:
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. This is some pretty intense stuff here. For me, I need this tattooed on the inside of my eyelids. What about this one - Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Fellas, to truly live this out will require complete an total reprogramming. Living in a time of complete and total entitlement, how counter culture is it to bless those that persecute you. I do like the concept of killing them with kindness (or heaping burning coals of shame on their heads). My prayer is that this is truly what our hearts feel and not just something we practice. Have a blessed day.
Does this apply to Dallas Cowboy fans also?
this is tough to do. i know that i WANT to do this but i do find myself falling short - particularly when i get frustrated at work. as cas says - this is a reprogramming of the mind and soul.
btw, i can just hear my mom saying this to me "dont think you know everything" :).
TKS, I like the shot at THE STAR of the NFL. Bring it!!
I agree with TRD and CAS that Christs approach with the Enemy concept has got to be close to the toughest to pull off in EVERY culture. The thing that struck me about this passage was how consistent the Word is in practicing and livnig it out. He not only commands us to outwardly deal with our enemies but inwardly via prayer as well!!!! I mean c'mon! I NEED GODS HELP TO ACCOMPLISH THIS!
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