“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.” (Romans 12:17)
Ooh. Ouch. Walking like Jesus is sounding weaker and weaker. It’s sounding like the fast lane to doormat-ville, like a guaranteed strategy for getting used and abused and disrespected.
Once the bad guys find out you’re not going to give back evil for evil, what’s to keep them from just rolling over you for the rest of your life? This is definitely not what the hero would do, right? Not for long. Not more than once or twice.
But, remember, our goal isn’t to become the action hero or the bringer of justice or even to protect ourselves from being mistreated. Our goal is to walk in the footsteps of the one who could have rained fire from the sky and instead went as a sheep to the slaughter – because he trusted his Father.
Yes, that’s hard – and it gets harder. Stay tuned.
Think: If someone asked you why Jesus didn’t pay back evil for evil, what would you tell them? Why should we want to be like him in this way?
Pray: Ask God to help you not to pay back evil for evil and to be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
Do: Try to think of any action heroes that do not repay evil for evil.