ROMANS 12:14

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”

You may have said to someone at some time, “Payback is h_ll!” You meant you would get even with them for something they did to you. Not me, Carl, I would never act that way. Yea right, and I’ve got some beachfront property for sale in Kansas. Lol. You may have not said those exact words, but like most of us, you probably had that thought. Paul addresses this in verse 14.

Personally, I think Paul has just started meddling. Can I get an “Amen”? Who, in their right mind is going to bless people who persecute them? How about Jesus? Isn’t that exactly what he did? And Paul lived this out as well. In his list of sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, he writes these words in verses 23-25, “23 in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned,” I am willing to bet Paul prayed for those who were persecuting him.

APPLICATION

Let’s be honest. Most of us have never experienced real persecution. If you have, I would love to hear your story and how you dealt with it. The worst persecution I have ever faced was someone calling me a bad name or shunning me for my beliefs. Paul was talking about aggressive persecution. In fact, the word Paul uses here is the same word he had just used in verse 13 which is translated “practicing.” (look back at yesterday’s devotional blog post to read more on this word). The point is, these people have made it a habit to persecute you. This is not a one-time thing. It’s ongoing.

And what does the Holy Spirit inspire Paul to write? He says for us to bless those people, “bless and do not curse.” What?! Bless them? And Paul writes this not once but twice. And he puts it in the Present Imperative Active. That means it’s a command that you follow consistently. Every time you think of this person(s) who is(are) persecuting you, bless them. The word means to speak well of. So, it’s not just a quick prayer of blessing on them. That means if you are asked about them, you speak well of them.

I don’t know about you, but that’s hard. It is not something I can do on my own. I know my flesh, and my flesh wants to retaliate, to get back at them. Jesus tells us to bless them in Luke 6:27-28. “‘27 But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who are abusive to you.’” And if Jesus said to do this, He will enable you to do just that.

Lord, I know my heart is wicked above all men so blessing those who persecute me cannot happen unless You do it through me.

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