The year was 1967. Crowds had gathered outside the Pentagon to protest the ongoing Vietnam War. Members of the 503rd Military Police Battalion formed a semi-circle and pointed their rifles toward the protestors. It was a tense moment, in a tense era, in a tense world.
But then hope seemed to break right through the moment, as a young man stepped forward to place carnations inside the officers’ barrels. American photographer, Bernie Boston, captured the moment in a shot entitled, “Flower Power.” The photograph moved the nation so profoundly, it earned Boston a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize, and the ethos of an entire generation was captured and preserved.
Whatever your political beliefs, as Christ’s followers, we’ve been given clear marching orders to protest the evil so prevalent in our world. We don’t fight with rebel fists, clenched in rage. Our assignment is to do good, to combat evil with righteousness, darkness with light, lies with truth, hatred with love.
Though it sounds warm and fuzzy, we cannot expect the world to respond to us with heart eyes. Jesus Himself warned us that they would instead take up arms against us.
“If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you” (John 15:18–19).
This battle is not new. There is no bait and switch. Jesus is clear: we will offer love and receive something else in return. Our good deeds may fall on deaf ears, or worse, turn others against us. Knowing this to be true from his own experience, Peter sought to encourage believers who faced suffering for the sake of the gospel. He told them, “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17).
Because of Christ, we are free to face such reactions from the world without the element of surprise. As in all things, Christ goes before us. He absorbed insults for His wisdom, betrayal for His faithfulness, and lashings for His love. Because of Him, we can bless when we are cursed, do good when others seek to harm us, and love when we are hated. We stand ready with hope, in a dark world that needs hope so desperately.
May we follow the example of our humble Savior, Church. May our hope in Jesus prepare our hearts for the battles we may face because of our love for Him. Let the world hurl their worst in our direction. Because of Jesus, we stand ready, eager to see hope break through.
But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with
gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15–16).
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38 thoughts on "Do No Evil"
Timely read today. I would appreciate prayer.
Living the truth that while I may give the world good and it may return something else is an understanding I am still learning. I do often find myself ready to return the world exactly what it gave to me, but I am reminded to take the high road and be like my brother Jesus.
Jennifer,
Thank you for sharing your story. You have experienced so many things that have caused hurt and anger to build. But I saw the fact that you persevered through the trials, that you clung to Jesus and never lost faith. I saw a woman who went to many lengths to further her education and open new doors. I pray that God will calm your fears and anger and will give you a new vision for your future. He is with you and loving you through it all. You also have this wonderful and supportive group of women in these SRT Bible studies to support and encourage you. Peace be with you!
❤
Jennifer,
I am praying for you. I can feel your hurt and sorrow. Reach for God and he will fill the dark places with light. Don’t give up hope for the things you want in life. “And hope does not disappoint us because of the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us” Romans 5:5 and “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”. Hebrews 6:19. God loves you and has a wonderful plan.
“Our assignment is to do good, to combat evil with righteousness, darkness with light, lies with truth, hatred with love”. Reminds me of the MLK quote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”. We can’t defeat hatred with hatred. We have to respond with love. Loving those who hate or mock us shows Christ’s love to them. We are called to be light. To make a difference. To attract others to our great God.
Yes, that is one of my favorite MLK quotes!
It’s harder to take offense when you know persecution is to be expected. We will be misunderstood. We will have opposition. We will be minimized. We will be ridiculed. This is the ‘norm’ for the Christian. But we also have a glorious Hope. We stand firm in our faith. We speak the truth in love. We pray “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Perfectly stated! ❤️
Thank you for describing this truth so beautifully!
Loved Galatians 3:28 I have read so many times, however today v29 answered a question I was wondering about for some time. “
We are not of this world!! And the world doesn’t love us because we are not there own!! But me belong to a much better family the family of Christ
I wake up every Monday angry despite having a great Sunday. It is something different every Monday ..then I set out with an attack plan in my head….and then just end up angry. I never say or do anything I just want to…I have the world’s biggest student loan because I agreed to go to a university that my then husband was stationed near.. This was in 1993. While I was going there UMHB, he met someone else on a deployment. I was branded, the divorced girl. But I held to my faith and stayed on. I ended up living in the dorms because at registration, rolled up my sleeves and couldn’t stop crying. This was the beginning of my Jr year. My own GI Bill only paid a small portion so I applied for student loans. I am 49 now and this was when I was in my early 20’s. I could no longer wear glasses to cover my red cry g eyes. I knew I was not being loved. I waited. I prayed. I thought marriage would not be like my mother’s, which was also abusive. But I was wrong. I have never remarried and didn’t date much either. I am too afraid. Yet, I want to feel loved and cherished. I do, by God, but all around me are married women with children and houses. I struggle so much. I want free from it. I now know what a guy feels like when child support comes out of their paycheck…yet, I didn’t have kids or run off. All I did was try to get educated. I stayed and graduated but I also worked 3 jobs of babysitting, at an eye exam place and at the school. I watched everyone else socialize and do clubs yet I always had to work. They made fun of me.
Praying for you. May God bless and encourage your heart.
Right. Between. The. Eyes. Boom.
Sarah, I’m lifting you up in prayer! Been there in that frustration and with the lies that satan comes at you with. I noticed an attack about a week ago and I’m actually paying more attn to them and binding and rebuking satan and sending anything not of God to the feet of Jesus. Have you tried that when the attack happens? Peace sets in for me. Praying you see the real beauty you are and realize no blemish is going to steal the beauty that God created. :) xoxo
…but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy…God help me honor you in my heart instead of running to unhealthy things
Amen! Praying along with you !
In the Bible reading for today it includes Galatians 3:28. “There is no …. male or female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. ”
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Why then does it say in 1 Timothy 2:14 “And Adam was not the one deceived, it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner”. He uses the man’s name and not “the woman’s”. The implication is Adam did not sin.
Hey everyone, prayer request. If I’m honest, I feel so ugly. I had a blemish that I was too impatient to leave alone, and this morning I feel like I made myself nauseous just trying to cover it up with concealer. Not the way I wanted to start the week. I think Satan is really attacking me with how I see myself when I look in the mirror, and how I have to wait for my skin to get better…thankfully it’s not horrible acne. Honestly I’m making it worse than it really is, but I still don’t feel confident about my skin right now. It’s not how I would like it to be. I only have a couple spots that flare up on my skin, but some scars are there too from previous things. I just want my face to go back to normal again!! I want to feel confident and not have to wear concealer. I’ve been trying to help it and it has worked, but recently a couple blemishes broke out. I’m really sorry to rant, just would love prayer in this area, that it would all heal and not touch my face, and that I would find my confidence fully in Jesus.
Praying for you today!
Praying for you. That your face would heal and that your joy and confidence will be found in Jesus. Hope your day gets better.
Ice, preparation H ..for swelling, and tea trea oil to dry
Praying that God would fill you with his love and perspective!
What stood out to me today was “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.” It seems as if in the world today, everyone is being told to focus on our differences and to not trust or to hate those that are different in any way. That is the exact opposite of what this verse is telling us to do. It opened my eyes this morning.
I’m so thankful for His word. Great devotion and time with the Lord today.
Angie, just a good reminder.
I am a people pleaser too… almost to an extreme.. I almost have anxiety attacks whenever I feel like someone doesn’t like me, or I am not pleasing enough people. It’s something God revealed to me last year that I needed to change my perspective. this was a good reminder.
❤️
“As in all things, Christ goes before us. He absorbed insults for His wisdom, betrayal for His faithfulness, and lashings for His love. Because of Him, we can bless when we are cursed, do good when others seek to harm us, and love when we are hated.“ This ❤️
❤️
I think the commands Jesus gives us here responds as much to our emotions as it does to our actions. So many times we think our emotions are our true perceptions of the situations, when in reality, they are so earthly that they can deceive us time and time again. The initial anger that comes with being hurt, is not the right response. The sadness that comes from a loss, is often so overwhelming that we forget a child just returned home to their father. The want for earthly things can feel like a seismic pull, but we are called to share what we have and allow God to provide what we need. Lord help me to not trust my own emotions, but to trust who you are- untainted by the expectations and guidelines of the world. Help me replace initial reaction, with commands of your Word. And help me to keep my eyes on you Lord, in every way as I turn from evil to fix my eyes on your will. Thank you for being such a good Father who knows we cannot be perfect and always act in the way you called, but the best thing is-is that you always stay the same. You will always react with mercy, rightneousness, and fair judgement-Lord let you actions towards me be a template for my heart towards others!
Well said ❤️
Our Pastor was talking about how Jesus was a forgiver. He was insulted, betrayed, and persecuted, but He forgave. He was saying that when he thinks of the pile of sins from his own life that Jesus forgave and paid the price for, he has to forgive. He said it flows out of him quickly, because he knows how much he’s been forgiven. He also said that Jesus had blood on His face after praying in the garden before His arrest. When Judas betrayed Him, He still called him friend. He also said that when Judas kissed Him, it wasn’t a peck on the cheek. I would have been done multiple times with force. Judas was the first to encounter Jesus’ Blood. I never thought of that. The sermon really made me think of how to treat others. I was at the 9 o’clock service, but here is a link to the later service. http://maog.org/ Just click on the livestream to watch.
So much of life is a fine line. Do no evil, and, give a blessing is not the same as being a “people pleaser.” What is my motivation when I honor and love God, listen and obey, love others as He loved ? I like to be liked. I like to have friends and for life to be as easy as possible. However, my motivation for doing what is right must be to honor God. It must come from a heart sold out in love with Him. Being devoted to what is good is not necessarily a ticket to ease, being liked, or respected on earth. If I suffer for righteousness, my response needs to be gentleness and respect, continued good conduct with a clear conscience. Jesus is my example. He is my covering, my clothing, my peace and hope.
Thank you, Angie. Echoes my heart.
May my life be a testimony today. May the power of the Holy Spirit ready my heart for today and the battle that belongs to the Lord. May he arm me with His love and strengthen me with His Word. May I face evil with His goodness.
If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you” (John 15:18–19).
I don’t know why but reading this verse filled me with comfort and made me feel like I wasnt alone. There are so many times I think to myself the world is against me or everyone hates me. Why do theese people judge me have a problem with me l. What has NEVER went through my mind was that jesus went through the same thing! Jesus did! The world hated him before us, but yet he showed loved and compassion even when it wasnt always returned. So instead of me feeling guilty and bad for myself I’m going to turn to the one person who has been through and can get me through it. I dont know why I have never thought about the hatred he went through when I think about what I’m going through. Maybe I have never seen this verse but this just have me so much comfort and compassion for jesus because sometimes I dont remember the things he went through only what I have been through. And i ask him why its happening to me while forgetting it happened to him for no fault of his own. I cant wait to share this verse with my family and anyone who needs this. This was amazing thank you lord!
My thoughts exactly! Well said, Caitlin. Thank you, Jesus, for never allowing us to be alone!