Week of 6/22/2017 entry from Bible Promises for You Men’s Group: Friendship
Scripture: Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Thought: Simple... Love, not revenge.
Romans 12:20 gives simple instructions… do the opposite of what we want to do. “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”
Application: Rebuking anger is hard, practice love instead.
Response: Father I pray that I can learn from your example and love more honestly. I tend to put people into “boxes” and I know this is wrong, help me to see the good in everyone.
Looking back Today (2025): Emotions, feelings… they are still a “hard pill to swallow.” After years of being “me” it is a constant struggle to become the man that God intends me to be! Instead of fighting back, I must continue trying to see the bigger picture and FIGHT TO LIVE BETTER as taught in Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Continuing to keep faith in my mornings typically leads to a better mindset for the day.
Side note: I had to research “burning coals on his head.” It’s not about getting revenge! It is suggested that the “burning coals” may IGNITE their conscience that kindness is being shown when it is not expected. When this happens the enemy may respond with kindness too. Remember the saying “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” that most parents teach their children. Applying that thought here you could say that you can likely change yourself and possibly the other person by being sweet, like honey< and not bitter like vinegar.
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ROM.12.10
Even though it's almost instinct to fight back even harder when others wrong us, this is a good reminder to take the higher road. Don't fight evil with evil. Good will always be the right answer, and it's always important to think about how Jesus would handle the situation, then do what He would do.
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