If

DEVOTION
ROMANS
IF

Rom 12:20-21
20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
NIV
Ignoring the person who offends or hurts my feelings or whatever, seems to be the path I usually take. It is quite easy to withdraw into my own shell and commit the act of silence. Is this a form of punishing those who offend me, those who would in some sense qualify as my enemy? I have to ask would a friend offend, or hurt my feelings. I have to ask would a friend do those things which would cause me harm. I must say no. so those who do are not my friends, but rather my enemies. Now the rub still falls on me as to how I react to such treatment. Do I retreat? Yes. Do I ignore? Yes. Do I make a conscience effort to stay away from those kinds of people? Yes. Have I learned to overcome this reaction? I am trying but I find this very difficult. Nevertheless here I find I am suppose to not react the way I do, I am also not to simply remain neutral. No I am directed here to act in a positive way toward those who would harm me. How I do this, I am not sure. How do I feed them? How do I offer a drink? Is this not simply an example of treating them better than how they treat me? Surely in the culture in which I live, my enemy is neither hungry nor thirsty. I must see this as an active action in a positive way toward those who I would otherwise withdraw from because of either their personality or their direct or even indirect attitude and actions toward me. Not an easy task, Lord. This is going to require your Spirit to work a little overtime within my heart and mind. The other question is of course the one regarding my actions of withdrawing. Is this a form of evil? Am I repaying evil with evil, or trying to overcome evil with a brand of evil myself? I don’t think I could go that far, but maybe within the context it may apply. So I do have to really work on a positive action. I must actually have a desire to do ‘good’ to those who would not do ‘good’ to me. Even if they do evil toward me on purpose, I still must overcome that with good. Lord help me! Yet all this is still predicated on the word if. If they, then I. If they leave me alone, what then must I do?