Devotion:
Read Romans 12:20-21.
OK, be honest with me...when you read the part about heaping burning coals on your enemy’s head, did you take some delight in that image? Perhaps each of us can think of someone who deserves a head full of hot coals! After enjoying that image for just a moment or two, I went looking for the intended meaning of this phrase that seems so out of place in a passage that encourages us to give food and drink to our enemies. An enemy may be a competitor who takes unfair advantage of us, someone who disagrees with us and says hurtful things in a public way, or even someone who wishes to do us physical harm. “Heaping burning coals on his head” simply means that our Godly actions of kindness and hospitality will mess with the mind of our enemy, cause them to examine why they are behaving as our enemy, and perhaps even change.
With this understanding, this phrase fits perfectly in a lesson about showing love to an enemy, resisting the human tendency to counter our enemy’s evil actions with vengeful acts of our own that, as Paul reminds us, can also be evil. When we overcome evil with good, we serve God through destroying an enemy by making a friend.
Personal Worship Option:
Almighty God, help me to look for ways to show kindness toward those who oppose me. I cannot do this on my own, so give me the strength and courage to do this, overcoming evil with good. Thank you for always walking with me. Amen.
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