Is there someone in your life you consider an enemy? I suppose we all have someone in our circle of acquaintances that seems to try to purposely do us harm.
Often, with women, the difficulty comes about because of gossip. Someone makes an unkind statement about us or tells something they know about us, and it spreads. Of course, it grows as it spreads!
What else can you call such a person but an enemy? An enemy is described as “a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.” The key word here is “actively.”
Identifying an enemy is usually easy. The hard part is dealing with them. That is what I want us to think about today. We all need a reminder of just what our part is in such a relationship.
There is a passage in the book of Proverbs that tells us exactly how to handle our enemies. “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21-22 ESV).
I hasten to tell you that this is easier said than done. When someone is “digging you in the back” day after day, it is difficult to return good for evil. Feeding him or her might not be as difficult as just doing good in return for the mean things they are doing to you.
Now before you say, “That was in the Old Testament so that doesn’t apply,” turn to Romans 12. Paul is appealing to the church to live to please God. In the beginning of the chapter, he admonishes the church to present themselves as living sacrifices. They are to be holy and acceptable to God because it is their spiritual service to do so. Remember, Jesus said to love your enemies.
Paul continues with encouraging Christians not to think more highly of themselves than they should. After all, he says, all are members of the body of Christ. They don’t all function the same but are all different. Don’t you think it sounds like maybe there was a little criticism of one against another in the church at Rome, as they tried to work together?
He continues by giving these people attributes of a true Christian. He says Christian love will be genuine. It will hate evil, and they will love one another, outdoing one another in showing honor to one another.
Then Paul gets down to some real issues. He says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own eyes” (verses 14-17).
In the verses following, Paul gets pretty plain. He says not to repay evil for evil. We are to do what is honorable and live peaceably with everyone. If that can’t be, it shouldn’t be because of our actions.
Now in the last three verses, Paul gets down to the heart of the matter. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord…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.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21).
So here is our challenge. We come in contact with a person day after day. They constantly try to say hurtful things, lie about us, and try to turn others against us. What does Paul (guided by the Holy Spirit) tell us? He says do something good when they do something evil.
The forces of evil cannot be overcome by more evil. Being good and doing good are the tools the Christian can use to overcome evil. Showing undeserved kindness may force the enemy to be conscious of his/her bad behavior.
Will being kind to the unkind change them? It may or it may not. But remember that God is the final judge. Let Him judge the offender, and don’t let the offender be you!
Sandra Oliver