Gospel Love For The Unlovely

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:19–21 (ESV) Let's just be honest. We have all had those thoughts. There is a list in our head of our enemies. Usually they aren't someone far away or in a different country under a different flag, but they are people near us. They have a different outlook. They have harmed us. They have angered or wronged us. We even have a new term for some of these people - 'frenemies'. They might be in your office, in your neighborhood, or even in your own home. Now we don't want to see them harmed physically, but we do want them to get their 'just desserts'. If that happens maybe they would learn. We think that would give us a sense of justice. However, the gospel subverts this idea. This week we continue our journey through Romans 12. The gospel changes the way we love, not just the people that love us, but even our enemies (and frenemies). Take some time to read through Romans 12. I want to challenge you to write down a few names of people that came to your mind in the previous paragraph. Come ready to consider what God wants to do in you in this passage.