Key verse: Romans 12:21 - KJV
21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Luke 23:32-37
The world is pervaded with troubles and though deceived by the enemy, man is at the center of it all. After the Lord saw the activities of man, scriptures say He regretted having made man. Part of the actualization of the regret was His having to cause the destruction of all that lived at the time of Noah except those who made it to the Ark before it was shut by Him. It is this evil notion and the wickedness in man that God seeks to extinguish as it is contrary to the original formula by which man was created. Man was created in the image and likeness of God who is Love. Corruption had set in to create the monster that man eventually became. That corruption is responsible for father killing son, daughters hating mother, brothers stabbing one another and the list is endless. It became a norm and presented as if none can live on earth successfully without engaging in such vile. Yet God gave us an example of how to live successfully on earth without being vile.
Our example of how to overcome the vile and evil tendencies of this world is in Christ Jesus. Though He had no sin nor offended any, He was hated for being truthful and refusing to emulate the ways of the wicked. His worst “offense” was teaching others not to follow the ways of the wicked and setting them free from the effect of their evil yokes. He was so hated that He was condemned to death even though the judge appointed over Him said himself that he found no wrong in Him. When He was to be led to His death, all manner of men, many of whom did not even have first-hand knowledge of the happenings maltreated Him on the way. But, you know what, the Lord could not be perturbed by their deeds. Rather than rail curses on them or be mean towards them, He prayed for them, in love. By this, even though evil was thrown at Him, He responded with goodness and kindness thereby overcoming their evil.
As disciples of Christ, since no servant is greater than the Master, what they did to Him, they are going to do to us. It is our test as disciples. Whether we pass the test or not depends on how we react in the circumstance. Our guide is to look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. If He prayed for His abusers, we are to do the same, so that like Him, we can overcome evil with love. Be an overcomer; don’t repay evil for evil.
Pray: Father, help me to be like you in love, never to repay evil for evil again so that I may be an overcomer indeed in the name of Jesus Christ.
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