Your Daily Devotional for July 24, 2006

 

July 24, 2006

 

Overcoming Evil

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

 

Romans 12:17-21

 

The world in which we live is getting more evil every day. We can all easily realize this fact just by looking around us. Everything from the movies on TV to the way that companies are advertising is progressively getting wicked. There is evil in every corner of society, and if you’re not careful you are going to be overcome with gloom.

 

Instead of complaining about all the wickedness, do something about it! Join a bus route, hand out more tracts, or teach a Sunday school class! The darker the night is, the brighter the light should be. As Dr. Lee Roberson used to say, “We need to punch some holes in the darkness and let the light of Christ’s love shine through!”

 

You might say, “But there’s a lot of cursing at my work.” Say some good things at work. “There are a lot of bad jokes where I work.” Then tell a clean one. “People are always talking bad about the boss.” Then say something good about that boss. Overcome evil with good.

 

People striving for good will experience rewarding joy in their life and in the life of their family. Friend, don’t be afraid by the world’s peer pressure. You can become peer pressure too! Pressure people to do what is right.

 

My grandfather helped to start a church in Moab, UT. Working as an ordinary bean farmer, he would tractor his land and then jump down from his tractor and study the Word of God. He went up to Moab, bought a piece of land, and built a church building. He used to invite me up there to preach when I was in college. Although I’m sure I stuttered a lot as a young preacher boy, he never missed an opportunity to point out something good that I did.

 

An encouraging word and that helping hand kept me going in life. Consider those around. What friend or coworker is slowly being overcome by evil? What situation in your life is influencing you towards evil?  Do you even notice it? We can’t always notice it, but God can. Next time the Holy Spirit prompts you in a certain direction, don’t just shrug Him off.  Listen to Him and He will guide you through evil so you are not overcome by it.

 

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