It was a full day of preparation for the upcoming school year. Father, even at this point, I pray all parties involved that we might be about your business in all we say and do. Amen.
Romans 12:17-21 (<<click here to read the passage)
One of my favorite Christian artists is a man by the name of Steve Green. He’s a few years older than me but old enough to have impacted me. He is a soaring tenor, and I had the pleasure of singing a few of his well-known songs in my younger years. I also used some of his music when I served as Minister to Families with Children in the late 90s.
One of his releases for children is entitled, Hide ‘Em in Your Heart, in which they took Scripture and set it to catchy tunes that children could sing, enjoy, and most importantly, learn from. They used a portion of today’s text for one of those songs, Overcome Evil with Good. I’ve included the video of it at the end of today’s post and, though some may think it’s a little campy – being 20+ years old now, it really conveys the concepts of the Scripture quite well.
I like the way the New Living Translation puts verses 17-18. It says,
Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
The Bible is not beyond our ability to adhere to…even a child can do it! Our knee-jerk reaction to so much in life is to retaliate. It can be physical but more often than not it is verbal. Someone cuts us off in traffic and the tirade begins. (I struggle with this one as well…) New directives come down from the top and we fuss and fume, grumbling to everyone who will listen.
What does the Apostle Paul say here? Never pay back evil with more evil.
Nothing more needs to be said.
The next part is a struggle all on its own.
Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
We may not think about it frequently, but people are watching us. If we claim to live our lives following Jesus, they’re watching to see if it’s legit. Does our walk reflect our talk?
Each day we should spend time with Jesus, seeking to reflect His lifestyle in our lifestyle. A life lived honorably shines forth His influence on our lives. And I, for one, do not think that peace is in overabundance in our world. Live so as to impact those who are watching…and they are.
Then lastly, is the verse included in Steve Green’s song – verse 21.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. NIV
Watch this short video for inspiration. Be open to the Holy Spirit’s leading as, each day, you strive to not be overcome by evil, but by overcoming evil with good. …even a child can do it!
Aug 21st, 2023, Mon, 6:24 pm
