“Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:20-21
These words call us into one of the most radical expressions of Christian love. In a world where tempers flare quickly and people snap without warning, this command feels almost impossible. We live in a culture shaped by ego, self‑importance, and the constant pressure of daily irritations—traffic, long lines, rude encounters, and unexpected frustrations that wear us down like a pebble in our shoe. Yet Paul tells us to respond to hostility with benevolence. Not avoidance. Not retaliation. But kindness. Jesus Himself modeled this when He prayed for His executioners. This is the supernatural love of Christ at work in the believer.
Paul reaches back to Proverbs 25:21–22, reminding us that kindness toward an enemy can “heap coals of fire on his head”—a picture drawn from an ancient Egyptian act of repentance. In other words, your compassion may awaken conviction in someone else’s heart. It may soften what anger has hardened. It may even lead them toward God. Abraham Lincoln lived this truth with Edwin Stanton, a man who once mocked him publicly. Instead of retaliating, Lincoln appointed Stanton as Secretary of War because he recognized his abilities. Over time, Stanton’s hostility melted into deep admiration. When Lincoln died, Stanton stood over his body and whispered, “Now he belongs to the ages.” Lincoln overcame evil with good—and it changed a man’s heart.
Paul concludes with a powerful charge: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Evil wants to pull you into its cycle—anger for anger, insult for insult, harm for harm. But goodness breaks the cycle. Goodness disarms. Goodness reflects Christ. When we pray for our enemies, seek reconciliation, serve those who cannot repay us, guard our hearts from bitterness, and trust God with justice, we shine a light that the world cannot ignore. This is the radical grace Christ has shown us—and the grace we are called to extend.
Pray for someone who has wronged you. Look for a practical way to bless someone who has been difficult. Release any desire for revenge and trust God to judge rightly. Let your life be marked by kindness that confounds the world and reflects the heart of Jesus. And as you overcome evil with good, someone watching may be drawn to the Savior who changed you.
“To return evil for good is devilish; to return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine.”—Charles Spurgeon
surrendered devotions 