Scripture to Read: Romans 12:17–18
God continues to challenge us in how we treat others, no matter how they have treated us. As we have already discussed this week, we know our flesh is ugly, selfish, conceited, never satisfied, always thinks it is right, and so on. God has commanded us to continually crucify our flesh along with all of its desires. So, as we continue to unpack God’s Word, God tells us in Romans 12:17–18, Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Stop just for a moment and consider how many times our flesh has told us that we have a right to get someone back for something they have done to us. Our fleshly desire will always be to want to take matters into our own hands and deal with the situation as we think is right in our own eyes. But God radically changes all of us because He transforms us to be just like Him by placing His Holy Spirit in us. If anyone had a right to “pay back evil for evil,” our Lord Jesus Christ, being perfect in every way, had the right to bring His judgment on those who nailed Him to the cross. But our Lord Jesus Christ showed compassion, as we see in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” God desires us to follow our Lord’s example and to “be at peace with all men.”
Challenge & Application
· How did God challenge you through His Truth today?
· How are you seeking to be at peace with everyone around you and so shine the light and love of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!