Unashamed Reading Plan
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 13 | Day 5
Prayer
Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word.
Bible Reading: Romans 12:17-21
Read these verses three times slowly.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Reflection & Questions
By Heather Mahoney
“Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good” (v21). This verse sums it all up. Overcoming doesn’t mean just avoiding or sidestepping evil – it means conquering and defeating evil!
Are we being defeated by our negative thoughts or actions, or are we conquering them with positive, Christ-like attitudes and actions? It may not be easy to follow these directives, especially when we encounter opposition. However, we can look at how our Lord responded to those who attacked Him, and display our faith by following His example.
Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27).
- Who can you reach out to this week to show kindness, maybe even undeserved kindness? Send a card to someone, send an email. They may just see the love of Christ shining through.
Prayer
Ask God to guide you as you pursue following Him wholly. Ask God for reminders throughout the day to love others well, to show kindness to others, and to trust God to be working through it all.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Bible Reading: Romans 12:17-21
Read these verses three times slowly.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Reflection & Questions
Just like we read about yesterday, today’s verses tell us how we can love those difficult people in our lives. It might not be easy, but it is what God wants us to do because ultimately, our Good can overcome the evil!
First thing – don’t be mean back to the person who was mean to you. That’s tough to do, but we are supposed to do the opposite: be nice! Our goal is to try to live at peace with everyone, even the most difficult people.
Second – we are not to take revenge on those who hurt us. God’s already got that – He will take care of it. He will avenge you.
Third – we are to be beyond kind to our enemies, feeding them if they are hungry, giving them something to drink if they are thirsty, and just being overly nice to them! In doing this, it is supposed to make them feel like they have a hat full of hot coals on their head. Those hot coals on their head could be the guilt or sadness they feel being a jerk in the first place!
These all seem very difficult to do, right? But think about Jesus – He was persecuted and attacked and He still said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” (Luke 6:27). Let’s work hard to follow His example!
- Who can you reach out to this week to show kindness to, maybe even undeserved kindness?
Pray
Ask God to help you see the opportunities to show kindness and ask for the strength to do it even when it seems difficult.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
