Let Good Win

Devotional Reading: ‭‭Romans 12:21 MSG‬‬
Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

Have you ever felt like you’re in a battle between good and evil? Maybe someone has wronged you, and you’re tempted to respond with anger or revenge. But Romans 12:21 reminds us that we don’t have to let evil win. Instead, we can overcome evil with good.

I love the Plain English Translation of this text, it says; “So don’t do payback to anybody. Don’t do bad things to them. If you do that payback, it is like you let that bad part of you win. But instead, you have to be good to everybody. That’s how you properly win against bad things.” Romans 12:21 PEV‬‬

Think of it like a garden. Weeds will always try to grow, but we can choke them out with beautiful flowers. When we choose to respond to evil with good, we’re planting flowers in the garden of our lives. For example, if someone speaks harshly to us, we can respond with kindness and compassion.

Overcoming evil with good doesn’t mean being passive or weak. It means being strong enough to choose love, even when it’s hard. Imagine a firehose blasting water to put out a fire. That’s what good can do to evil – it can extinguish it and bring life to a dry and barren place.

But how do we do this? It starts with our thoughts. When we’re faced with evil, we can choose to think about good things (Philippians 4:8). We can also choose to pray for those who have wronged us, asking God to bless them and bring them closer to Himself.

As we strive to overcome evil with good, let’s remember that we’re not alone. God is with us, empowering us to choose love and forgiveness.

Prayer and Confession
May we be like Jesus, who prayed for His enemies on the cross, and may our lives be a testament to the power of good overcoming evil. Amen!

Further Reading: Matthew 5:44-45, Romans 12:19-21