Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.Romans 12:17-21
During 2026, Peachtree Church is inviting everyone into Cultivate, a churchwide discipleship plan centered on the fruit of the Spirit and the kind of life God longs to grow in us. Throughout the year, we’ll explore how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take shape in everyday life through the Spirit’s work. Cultivate brings together worship, Scripture, group guides, and meaningful practices designed to meet you where you are and support growth in ways that fit your season. These twice-weekly devotionals are one way to stay connected, offering reflection and grounding for daily life with God. Whether you engage in many ways or just one, you’re invited to be part of this shared journey of becoming more rooted in who God has created and called you to be.
Devotional
Paul took upon himself the daunting task of conveying the best Christian teaching, theology, and ethics in his letter to the Romans. It wasn’t so much a letter written to people or a church he knew, as a work meant to set up proper Christian thinking and living for the church in Rome. He had not been to Rome yet, but knew of the church there, which was mostly made up of Gentile Christians.
As he writes to Gentile Christians, he is aware they did not have the benefit of a good Jewish upbringing, with the discipline of the Law and a community that helped reinforce a knowledge of how to live a moral life. So in a sense, he starts from scratch in Chapter 12, reminding these new Christians not to be conformed to the Roman world, but to be transformed by their new relationship with Christ.
As you read the exhortation above, reading between the lines will tell you that the way the Gentiles used to live was based on revenge for a perceived wrong. “At all costs, get them back for what they did,” was their motto. In the Roman world, if you were cheated in a business deal, you cheated the offender right back. If you were physically injured, you arranged for physical injury to be dealt out in return. If your crops were spoiled by a neighbor, you arranged for his to be spoiled as well.
(As I write, we’ve been watching the World Cup games at home, and this ‘eye for an eye’ spirit is alive and well amongst players worldwide. “You’ve kicked my teammate in the leg and pushed him over; you better watch out for me to do that right back.”)
But Paul suggests a still more excellent way for Gentile Christians. He asks them to rise above petty payback. He asks them to leave payback to God alone. He asks them to cultivate a completely new way to relate to others who’ve done them wrong: Let God handle it and live at peace with everyone, insofar as it is possible to do so. (There’s a small matter of some burning coals that I will talk about in the next devotional.)
You can imagine how different Roman Christians living this way would have appeared to their surrounding neighbors. Instead of perpetually looking for slights and wrongs to avenge, they would peacefully leave such matters to God. In so doing, they would be modeling the Way of Christ to their world.
For Reflection
- Is it hard or easy for you to leave payback in God’s hands?
- Do you find yourself worried that God will not punish hard enough or quickly enough?
- When you choose forbearance and reliance on God to set things right, what are you modeling for a watching world?
Prayer
Dear Lord, I find myself on the lookout for people who’ve done me wrong. Instead of being grateful for your grace in my life, I’m wondering how I can take revenge on those who have wounded me. Lord, help me to lift my eyes to you, who could easily have punished me for my sin, and offer your grace to others, leaving correction in your hands. I thank you for showing me a still more excellent way. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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