Romans 12
Romans 12 has several gems for living our best life. For example, do not take on the characteristics of the world but change your mind so you can be like Christ and be an example of what He wants for His children. He says love and to not take revenge, but to let God do that, trust me He can do more for you than you can do for yourself. He even says to feed your enemy (foe, opponent) if they are hungry and give them drink if they are thirsty. Treating your enemy with kindness will "heap burning coals on his head". That phase is stating your honorable deeds in response to their mistreatment will make them feel guilty because you treated them better than they deserved. God's desire is for us to live our best life possible and with Him at the center of our lives we can do just that. I urge you to read Romans 12 in its entirety and make a mental note of all the ways you can live your best most blessed life in Him.
There are many things that God calls us to do and some of them used to be incredibly challenging to wrap my head around. Some were even harder to accomplish. Romans 12:14 it says bless those who persecute you. Other words for persecution are abuse, ill-treat, or punish. As someone who has not been following Christ's example for exceptionally long, I can see that being a tricky thing to do. It’s hard enough to be kind when someone cuts you off or gives you a mean look, but to do so even when people mistreat you? Okay, I'm not perfect like Jesus. Speaking of Jesus, He endured far worse than most of us can imagine. He was beaten with a whip that had nails and broken pieces of bone embedded. I'm not sure if you read about the story of Jesus' crucifixion. If you have not it’s heartbreaking. Not only was he beaten and had to carry the cross they would later nail Him to, but they put a crown of thorns on his head and pushed it into his skull. He was sweating blood! While hanging on the cross, gasping for every breath He took, He asked God to forgive those hurting Him. He calls us to be like Christ and to not repay evil for evil (Rom 12:17) and vs. 18 says to live at peace with everyone. In today's society it seems like everyone is at odds with each other. We have seen people wronged because of their differences and its disappointing. God intended for us to live in harmony with our neighbors. Again, I know it’s a tricky thing to do. The beauty of doing hard things is that God is there to help us. We do not have to do the hard things alone. Allow God to help you live your best life by repaying evil with good and praying for those who cause your harm. I urge you to read Romans 12 in its entirety and make a mental note of all the ways you can live your best most blessed life in Him.
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