God is the God of love, unity, peace and restoration. As His ambassadors, the Spirit of God within us will lead us to walk in love and forgiveness. In Romans 12:17, it says that we are not to pay back evil with more evil. This is not honorable in the sight of God. We are to leave revenge to the Lord. He will repay people for the evil that they commit (v19). Instead, we are to do the opposite. We are to bless those who we would consider our enemies. The Lord reminds us today to NEVER let evil conquer us. Instead, we are to conquer evil by doing good, thus revealing the love of God to those who would do us harm. Matthew 5: 9,10 says: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
Romans 12: 17- 21 “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,” 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.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good”.
We all have burdens that we carry. Some burdens are so heavy that they tend to overwhelm and weaken whoever is carrying them. Our Lord Jesus understands that, so in Matthew 11: 28-30, He said this: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” He instructs us to take His yoke upon us instead of whatever we are currently carrying. His yoke is saving, healing and restoring mankind to fellowship with the Father. In other words, when we put aside our issues and instead help others get connected with God, that is where we begin to experience rest for our souls. Something happens when we become selfless like Jesus. Most people are selfish and are only interested in what they could get from others. However, when we take on Jesus’ yoke, and begin to minister to others, even when we are experiencing issues of our own, we will see how God will set others free through our sacrifice of service, and in the process, God will give us the peace that passes understanding. We will begin to experience rest from our issues and challenges. The joy of the Lord will well up within us as we see others helped and delivered through our actions and prayers. Take His yoke upon you. Learn from Him, and watch how divine rest, peace and joy will fill your soul.
