February 8, 2024 Daily Dose of Discernment

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

Twenty-five years ago, Romans 12:9-21, which is the New Testament reading in today’s morning prayer, was read in our church services every Sunday for almost a year. The series of teachings on the passage was that long. It expounded on Paul’s practical, rubber-meets-the-road teachings on living a victorious Christian life.

The chapter begins with an exhortation to sacrificially offer our lives to God and allowing ourselves to be shaped by His ways. It concludes with a summary of how to defeat evil, and that is simply by not conforming to its ways but operating on a higher level which is its antithesis - good. If we are diligently kind to our brothers, giving preference to them and contributing to their needs, and if we love even our enemies, blessing them and never paying back their hatred with hatred, we will overcome evil with good. Tall order? Yes, but with the grace of God, all things are possible.