Let’s be different today. Where there is hurt let us bless. Where offence comes let us take every barrier down. Where there is war let us bring peace. Who do you struggle with today? Bless them. Show kindness. Demonstrate the cross. Die for them. Do not pick up the sword no matter what they have done.
Paul continues on from instructing not to retaliate by speaking of doing all we can to reconcile: “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 v 20-21)
The Rwandan genocide in 1994 only lasted 100 days. But during that time 800,000 citizens were brutalised and murdered by their own neighbours.
Though Hutu and Tutsi tribes are the same ethnic group, share the same language, lived and worked together, shared the same religion (mainly catholic), Tutsis and supportive Hutus were slaughtered by people they had co-existed peacefully with for generations.
Even from school age Tutsis became dehumanised.
They were called snakes and cockroaches.
The killings were horrific and sadistic.
Here is a story of a mother whose son was killed in that genocide.
The woman had nursed bitterness, grievance and thoughts of vengeance; she just wanted to find her son’s killer and bring due punishment. But one night she had a dream and in the dream she was going down the street and saw a house and she knew it was a house of her enemy.
And she heard God say, “Go into the house”.
She said “I don’t want to go into the house”
She went into the house and God led her through many rooms and then up the stairs.
And He said “I want you to go up the stairs”
She said “I don’t want to go any further in this house”
“I want you to go up the stairs”
She went up the stairs, opened the door at the top, and found it led into heaven.
And she had a revelation.
That the path to heaven goes through the house of her enemy.
Two days later there was a knock on her door.
A young man is standing there at the door and he is shaking.
He says to her, “I am the man who killed your son. I place my life in your hands, whatever you want to do with me, I accept it. I have had no peace since I did what I did. And I will accept whatever. If you want to kill me, you can kill me.
If you want to turn me in to the authorities turn me into the authorities. Whatever you want, my life is in your hands.
And because she had a revelation from God, she said “I will not do any of this. But I do have one request. You must now become my son.”
She took him in and fed him at the table where she fed her son. He’s the same size so he wore his clothes. He actually moved in and became a son to her, because heaven passes through the house of her enemy.
Who is your enemy? Who is the person that hurt you? Would you believe that heaven goes through that house? It does. It’s called the cross. Pick it up today. Love is your most treasured commodity that no one will take from you. Give it today. Do what you can to reconcile.
Missions Paul 