Giving Good for Evil
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”- 1 Peter 2:12
Pagan 1. a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions; a non-Christian.
Hedonism 1.the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence; the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life.
Those that have faults delight in pointing out the faults in others. It makes them seem more “normal” in their own minds. Another person’s vulnerability and weakness makes those finger pointers feel morally or ethically superior, in spite of their own flaws. It’s beside the point that those being pointed out have never even pretended to be superior to anyone in any way. The perception that they are superior fuels the fire of those who are struggling with their own humanity.
Those who seek pleasure see nothing wrong with it in that, generally speaking, it neither harms, nor affects anyone other than the immediate participants; “live and let live,”but life doesn’t work that way. Every word or deed brings about a subsequent action or reaction, sometimes unpleasant. Those who seem to have it all together are railed upon and verbally abused for their supposed calmness in the face of the fury of circumstances. It must be infuriating for those who do not know Christ.
All scripture tells us to do with such people is to live good lives among them. As Christ was silent when the Roman soldiers beat the crown of thorns down around his head, we are to say nothing, but love them in silence by not giving back to them in like manner to that which they have given to us. Deep in their soul they know they are wrong. They, just like us, were born with a sense of good and evil, right and wrong. They are on a different path, going in a different direction, yet they are far from unredeemable. Do not shun them for their differences … befriend them. Reach out to them. We are not any different than they are, except that we have decided to follow the path that leads to life rather than death. It’s like this: we have gone to court with a lawyer, they have none. They are unable to defend their actions. Neither are we, but our advocate is. So you see, aside from Christ, we are not very much different than those who live all around us.
Pray that God will allow you to see those that are lost as He sees them. Don’t preach at them, meet their needs. Don’t avoid them; be as Christ would be to them. Christ didn’t condemn those He ministered to, but rather revealed their sin to them through parables and life lessons. Their own sins condemned them, as the enormity of what was taking place all around them became clear. So give good in exchange for evil and watch the fruit grow from it. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
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