Overcoming Evil with Good

Do you ever get tired of trying to do the right thing?

It's tiring when you try to be honest in your business, while others prosper by bending the rules.

It wears you down when biblical values are mocked by movie-makers and ridiculed by comedians.

It's wearisome when macro-evolutionists scoff at the idea of creation and pretend all the scientific evidence is on their side.

It's tiring to be a force for unity when division has become the norm.

It's hard to have a pure heart when sexual temptation is so prevalent.

It's exhausting to swim against the current of consumerism that says life's main objective is to please yourself alone.

It's tiring to hold onto your faith when Satan tempts you to conclude there's nothing worth believing.

And yet, God's Word compels us not to give up. It says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). When evil seems overpowering, we still have a choice. We can choose to live by faith, not fear. We can choose to follow Christ and take the path of discipleship instead of the path of least resistance. With the power of the Holy Spirit to assist, we have the ability to overcome evil with good.

The rest of Romans chapter 12 tells how. We can offer our bodies as living sacrifices, "holy and pleasing to God" (v. 1); and when we do, good overcomes evil. Instead of conforming "to the pattern of this world," we can invite God to transform our minds to his will (v. 2); and when we do, good overcomes evil.

Good triumphs whenever we use our gifts and talents to serve, teach, encourage, give, lead, and show mercy (vv. 4-8). Good wins whenever love trumps self-interest and we honor others above ourselves (vv. 9, 10). Good triumphs when we keep our "spiritual fervor" (v. 11) and remain "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (v. 12).

Good wins whenever we "share with God's people who are in need" and "practice hospitality" (v. 13).

Good triumphs over evil when we "rejoice with those who rejoice" and "mourn with those who mourn" (v. 15). In a world filled with power struggles, good wins every time we manage to live in harmony and "associate with people of low position" (v. 16).

Good triumphs when we refuse to repay evil for evil—leaving judgment in the hands of God—and make it our goal to live at peace whenever possible (vv. 17-19). Good wins every time we respond to animosity by meeting needs instead of seeking revenge. "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink" (v. 20).

It takes courage to do the right thing, and the effort can wear us down. But God's promise is sure: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).