Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 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; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21, NRSV)
We are not to repay evil for evil, but we are to love our enemies.
We are to pray for those who revile us.
We are to bless those who curse us.
We are to live in harmony with one another.
For by doing this we leave space for God to work in the lives of those who seem to be against us.
And in so doing this we heap burning coal on their heads!
Now that would just down right hurt! Burning coals on your head would not be a pleasant experience and in the whole grand scheme of things is truly worse than any revenge I believe any of us could come up with. Plus think of it in this way. Most people expect you to retaliate, in fact that is probably why some of them lash out in the first place. And if you do not retaliate, they will be confused and annoyed. By not doing what they expect, but loving them in-spite of their hate, we are doing what God has done for us!
God confuses us by loving us in-spite of our doing what we shouldn’t.
So confuse them and heap burning coals on their heads!
aSacredRebel 