Overcoming Evil with Good

Read It: Romans 12:14–21 (NRSV)

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Learn It:

Paul gives us a kind of laundry list of things that we should do and the way we should live.  It's not just a list of things we shouldn't do but ways that we can live with one another...both Christian and non.  If you look at this list it really is a wonderful list of how to interact with people in appropriate ways.  Be happy with others who are happy about something.  Don't think too highly of yourself or say you are much smarter than you really are. Then Paul goes on to say one of my favorite quotes which comes from the Old Testament about vengeance belongs to God.  We don't have to worry about being vengeful even if that might be our first reaction.  If someone hits you you might want to hit them back or get payback for something they do to you.  God tells us that those kinds of things are for God and it it up to God to decide if God will take action or not.  The last line really says it all...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. That is truly what it's all about.  

Share It:

Take the Bible passage from above and walk through it with your family verse by verse.  Talk about what each of you thinks the verse means and what are ways that you see that in your everyday life.  Then talk about how you can apply these Christian ideas to the way you interact with others.  Think of other things you might add to this list that Paul has created to live in harmony with each person that you meet.

Live It:

This weeks live it is simple.  Try to apply these ideas you talked about above and the ones in Paul's list to the Romans (our passage up top) to each person that you meet this week.  We all know that there is bound to be someone in our week ahead that we might find difficult to interact with or be pleasant with...use these words from Paul as a way to work through that difficult encounter so that both you and the person you are interacting with leave with a sense of Christian love.

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Using Gifts

Read It: Romans 12:2-8

 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Learn It:

Sometimes it is easier to go with the flow of classmates, coworkers and people that you hang out with on a regular basis. In our text today Paul is encouraging the church in Rome to not conform (or go with the flow) of the way everyone else does things but to use your heart and mind and faith to transform (go against the flow) so that you can do God's work.  One way to go against the flow is to not think we are better than the world or anyone else but instead to understand the gifts that God has given to each of us and to use them for the glory of God and not for our own gains.  That is why it says to use sober judgement...we need to realize our gifts and to also realize that others have gifts as well and none is better than the other.  They each have their own use and can all contribute to the greater good (of spreading God's word and love).  

Share It:

What are the different things you are good at?  Do you use those things to be better than others and prove how great you are?   We often build up our gifts for our own purposes like to get a scholarship for college or to be on varsity sports instead of JV or to get into advanced classes to look better in school.  What are ways that you can use those gifts to build up other people even if they aren't as skilled or gifted as you?

Brainstorm with you family about ways to use your gifts to build up others instead of just yourself.

Live It:

Use those ideas from the Share It section to see how you can use your gifts or skills to help someone else out this next week and beyond.  School is coming up so if you come up with something you can do to help others try it out the first week of school or at work or at some group.  Think, "how can I help someone else with things I am good at?"

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Food vs. Words

Read It: Matthew 15:10-12 (NRSV)

10 Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” 12 Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 

Learn It:

In the Old Testament there are different laws about what types of food you can and cannot eat.  For Jesus to basically say that you can eat any kind of food goes against a number of laws that the Pharisees hold onto as part of their faith.  Jesus tries to point out that the greater evil of the mouth is not what goes in (food and water) but what comes out (our words).  When I was little I used to hear and even say the phrase, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me".  I have since learned that that phrase is not true at all.  There are things that we say that is not nice or helpful and when we're angry we even say things that are downright mean.  We may later feel sick for things we ate or how much we ate but there are times when the words we say can cause great trouble and rifts.  Words are more dangerous than the food we eat.

Share It:

What might be some things recently that you have said that you later regretted saying because you realize that it might have been wrong or hurtful to say?  Why do you think that we sometimes say things before we think them through?  What are some specific ways that we can use words to build each other up?  What are ways that we can be more careful of the words we choose to say?  

Live It:

This next week spend some time building people up with words of kindness.  Take this week to really think about the words that come out of your mouth before you say them.  When you are talking to someone really listen to what they have to say, think about how to respond, then respond to them with your carefully chosen words.  See how spending some intentional time choosing words might affect your conversations this week and in the future.  

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The Power of Water

Read It:  Matthew 14:26-27 (NRSV)

26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” 

Learn It:

Water is a very powerful image in the Bible.  In the Old Testament it is often associated with chaos in one's life.  Water was also very dangerous because of storms and creatures in the sea that could cause fisherman to never return to the shore again.  Of course I don't think that times have changed too much.  If you have ever seen the show, "Deadliest Catch" or some of the others like it on the Discovery Channel then you will know that even today seas and oceans can be very dangerous and difficult places to traverse.  The disciples are justified, in my opinion, in thinking they saw a ghost because nothing should be out in a storm like that...especially something walking on the water.  Water gives us life as well.  Without water to drink we cannot live.  Also water is what gives us new life with Jesus when we are baptized.  Water is a powerful element in our lives.

Share It:

Talk with your family about the different ways you use water on a daily basis.  What are the different ways that we use water?  What are ways that water is beneficial for us?  In what ways does water still show itself as dangerous?  What are some ways that we can use water to be a blessing in our lives and for our faith?  Share these thoughts and others that may come up during you talk together.

Live It:

Spend this next week paying attention to all the ways that you use water.  Think about how water is used to bring about life.  What might be something you can do with water this week to continue to bring about life in this world?  When you come up with it try it.

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