THINK TOGETHER.
Do you have any enemies?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 25:21-22. 21If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
Like yesterday's proverb, here is another one that the Apostle Paul applies to our lives as Christians. Here's what he wrote in Romans chapter 12:
Romans 12:19-21. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God...20To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Of course Jesus taught us the same thing when he told us to do good to our enemy.
But what does Solomon (and Paul) mean when it says that doing good to our enemies, feeding them when they're hungry, giving them water when they're thirsty, heaps burning coals on their head? That doesn't sound very nice does it?
When we do nice things for our enemies, when we are kind even though they are mean, when we respond with compliments even when they say nasty things to us, those acts of kindness will make them feel bad inside and "burn like hot coals."
But here's where it gets tricky. If you are kind to your enemy just so that they will feel bad inside, then you aren't actually being kind anymore are you? We must always ask ourselves, why am I being kind to this person? Is it just to show that I'm better than them? Is it just to make them feel bad? Or is to help them to see that they were being mean so that they might CHANGE and become nice?
When we were the enemy of Jesus he did the nicest thing ever for us – died on the cross for our sins. He died for us to forgive us and then CHANGE us. When we trust in him his kindness becomes our kindness. The burning coals of his kindness have helped us love him. Hopefully they can do the same for your enemy.
Because of Jesus God is kind to us, even though we were once his enemy.
With Jesus we can be kind to our enemies.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Listen to the song Jesus, Thank You by Sovereign Grace Music together.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, it's hard to be kind to mean people. I need your help today. Amen.
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