A Broke Evangelist

December 17, 2024

Romans 12:19-21

Be Like Paul

“19 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. 20 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.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

You know, everyone needs that one person in their life who keeps it real. For me, that person is Kathy—my lovely, brutally honest wife and undisputed champion of constructive criticism. She doesn’t just throw shade when needed; she throws the whole kitchen sink, a mop, and maybe a few pots and pans for good measure. And I take it like a man—lying in a fetal position, throwing myself a world-class pity party. But there are no balloons or cake at this bash—just me sulking in a corner, trying to recover from my bruised ego. Truth hurts, no doubt. It’s like a swat on the butt which I knew all about, growing up with a mom who could wield a chancla like a pro, developing a right forearm muscle twice the size of her left forearm muscle, reminiscent of Popeye. But that flip-flop on the rear usually set me straight.  

So, let me set the scene: I was feeling pretty good—actually, amazing about my latest post. I had stories, I had jokes, I even threw in that time I tossed a misbehaving relative out of a funeral home (a tale for the ages). As I finished writing, I thought, “This is my magnum opus! People will laugh, they’ll cry, they’ll share a Coke, and world peace will be achieved.”  Naturally, I decided to share this masterpiece with Kathy. I watched her pick it up, ready for the glowing review that would surely come—an uncontrollable giggle here, a gasp of awe there, maybe even tears of admiration. I braced for my Pulitzer moment.

And then… silence. A minute passed. Then two. Her face didn’t change. The tension was killing me. Finally, she looked up and said, “This took forever to read. And you were all over the place. Too many stories.”

Oof. It was like a literary sucker punch.

My first instinct? Denial. “She just doesn’t get it!“

My second? Panic. “Wait, maybe she’s right.”

And there it was—that little voice in my head admitting, “Yeah, okay, I might’ve gone overboard.”

My lesson: when in doubt, focus. And maybe not write after chugging four cups of coffee. So my game plan is going to change by me sharpening my storytelling, and keeping things tight and to the point, and make sure my readers don’t feel like they’ve wandered into slam dance event at a punk rock nightclub.

My goal? Inspire, entertain, and leave you enough time to get on with your day before the cobwebs start forming on your screen.

Meanwhile, I’m diving back into the end of my overview on Romans—some of the most powerful verses out there. Stick around, because next time, I promise to keep the stories as focused as a chancla homing in on my rear, er…target. Thanks for sticking with me—and, as always, let’s laugh, learn, and grow together in the last verses from Romans 12:19-21.

Romans 12:19 - 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.

Vengeance is tempting—whether it’s chasing down a driver who cuts us off or plotting payback for someone who steals our Amazon delivery. But Romans 12 reminds us not to take vengeance on our own. Trusting God means not trying to fix it ourselves (a sure disaster), stepping back and let Him handle things. When our anger take over, it’s like playing a mental game of Whac-A-Mole—frustrating, exhausting, and ineffective. But God handles justice with perfect timing and fairness, far better than anything we could achieve ourselves.  Thus, when someone wrongs us, we can resist the urge to take matters into our own hands, by smiling and saying, “God’s got this!” Giving space to His perfect wrath means freeing ourselves from stress and letting peace take over, trusting Him to work things out in ways we could never expect. He’s the ultimate avenger!

Romans 12:20 - 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.”

The phrase about heaping burning coals on someone’s head might sound harsh, but it’s not about heading over to Walmart and picking up a bag of Kingsford briquets, firing them up, and dumping them on someone with whom we’re mad. It’s really about being kind, with a kindness that sparks change. When we respond to someone’s bad behavior with unexpected grace, it can create a “burning conviction,” making them reconsider their actions. Instead of escalating conflict, our kindness surprises and softens people into a slight state of confusion by making them wonder what happened. It’s a great way to address wrongs with love and leave them to wrestle with their conscience rather than fueling the fire of hostility. Whether it’s sparking guilt or helping reignite someone’s humanity, the idea is the same: responding to hostility with kindness not only lifts us above the situation but also opens the door for transformation, warmth, and maybe even reconciliation.

Romans 12:21 - Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Now, let me illustrate this with a little “Survivor” drama. My wife and I are casual fans—mostly because half the time we forget it’s on—but back in the day, we tuned in religiously, before DVR and streaming let us watch everything in our pajamas at 2 a.m. One season finale, it came down to two finalists: Richard and Kelly. The “jury,” made up of booted contestants, got to grill them before casting their votes. And then there was Susan. She and Kelly had been allies, but Kellie voted her out to save her own game. So, Susan seized the moment to deliver one of the most epic, scorched-earth speeches in reality TV (to this day), telling Kelly that if she was dying of thirst and Susan crossed paths with her, she wouldn’t even give Kelly water and let the vultures have her. Yikes.

That’s not exactly what Paul had in mind when he said to overcome evil with good. Paul was talking about kindness, love, and forgiveness—not channeling your inner petty vengeance warrior. So, here’s the takeaway: Be like Paul. Don’t be like Susan. Instead of withholding water, offer it. Instead of plotting payback, hand out friendship. Life’s too short to carry grudges, and honestly, vultures already have plenty to do.

And now…this ends my overview on Romans, chapters 5,6,8, 11 and 12. Five chapters down out of a hundred! I start next on 1 Corinthians, so…

More to come…

A Broke Evangelist – December 17, 2024

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