Overcome Evil with Good

“Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21

Look again at that verse, Romans 12:21. Just consider the profound simplicity in that idea. We, the church, are not over- come by evil, but we overcome evil; we overcome it with good. You would be hard-pressed to find a society in the world or throughout history that would not give a whole-hearted endorsement to the concept of overcoming evil with good. Take a moment and imagine a life, your life, characterized by that mindset, that you live not to be overcome with evil but to over- come it with good. What would that kind of mindset do for the world around you? How would it affect the way you handle your relationships? How would it affect your speech, your actions, the way you process the latest headline in your news feed? Living with the goal of overcoming evil with good would probably change everything for you. So, why doesn’t everyone just live that way? Why don’t you?

There is a reason why everyone doesn’t live with a mindset to overcome evil with good. There is a reason why you may find it hard to concentrate on the good in this world and to promote the good in this world without being overwhelmed by evil.
It’s simple—evil is overwhelming! Have you been paying attention to the news? We’ve had horrific mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. We’ve seen scandal in the Southern Baptist Convention. War continues in Ukraine. Culture war continues in the United States. This is not to mention whatever you have going on in your personal life. The world around you is screaming, “Just give in; be overcome by evil!”

But we know better than the world, don’t we? We, the redeemed people of Christ, We. Know. Better. We’ve seen the good- ness of Christ and we just can’t get over it. Jesus took the full brunt of this world’s evil, and while, by every account he was overcome by it on the cross, he also showed that the good of the Lord is far superior to the strength of evil in this world. Nev- er forget that our Christ is risen; he is alive. He took the full weight of evil in this world and he overcame it, resurrected from apparent defeat, displaying eternal victory!

Overcome in this world, hmmm, not likely, not for those who belong to Christ. Read the words of the apostle Paul, “We
are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bod- ies. . . knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence” (2 Cor. 4:8–10, 14). Be encouraged by those words. They show us why we are not overcome with evil, but we overcome evil with good. That’s who we are. We live in Christ. We are overcomers. So, today, tomorrow, and every day of your life, if you belong to Christ, you live as a force for good in this world. Trials come to you, pain comes to you, gossip, slander comes to you, dis- couragement comes to you, disturbing news comes to you, be reminded of who you are in Christ, turn everything toward his good, and watch the Lord win out!

Pastor Josh

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FOCUSED

One of the casualties of aging to which I find myself a victim is the dimming of the eyes.  Ecclesiastes 12 counsels the young person to remember God, their Creator, in their youth before the aging process takes over and various faculties, as listed in verses 1-7, are diminished.

Clear eyesight when we are young may be something we take for granted. However, as we age the realization that our vision is not as sharp as it once was takes hold. “Readers” become standard fare for all intricate tasks. Our once keen laser sharp focus is now blurry and in need of help to restore its youthfulness. That restoration is found through glasses or some sort of rejuvenating surgery. Especially in the early stages of this degenerative eye problem we may be able to fake it and get by, but eventually we must relent and do something to correct the problem.

There is a parallel between physical and spiritual vision. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” was written in the early 20th century. The hymn writer, Helen Lemmel, was strongly influenced by the artist and later little-known missionary, Lilias Trotter. Miss Trotter started off as an aspiring artist but early on felt a call from God to reach the lost. She began her ministry by rescuing prostitutes from the streets of London. Later she went to Africa, without missionary funding, and served for over forty years. While there she penned a poem that would greatly influence the writing of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”  The poem was entitled “Focused: A Story and Song.” 

The poem centers around focusing one’s attentions fully and completely upon God. She writes that Satan knows that if a person uses all their powers of concentration on being led by God’s Spirit, they will have a great intensity and impact upon those to whom they are called to minister. Lilias Trotter, writing in a more formal use of the English language than we are accustomed, shares some timeless insights which could very easily have been written today but with a different accent. She writes: “Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen good harmless worlds at once—art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the ‘good’ hiding the ‘best’ even more effectually than it could be hidden downright frivolity with its smothered heartache at its own emptiness.”

The “good” hiding the “best” leads us to emptiness.  Could this be true of us today especially as American Christians? Have we sought the “good” while missing the “best”? The chorus of the hymn, which we will be singing in worship this Sunday, says it best.

                Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,                                                                                                                                        And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Keith Pate

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