Shared devotional content from the common study platform.
Therefore“If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Is there someone in your life who has wronged you? Maybe a coworker who took credit for your work, a friend who betrayed your trust, or a family member who said something that still stings. Our natural instinct is to pull away, keep score, or hope they get what's coming to them. But God asks us to do something that feels almost impossible: respond with kindness.
This doesn't mean pretending the hurt never happened or letting someone walk all over you. It means choosing small, genuine acts of care toward the very person who hurt you. Bring them coffee when they're having a hard day. Pray for them by name. Speak well of them when they're not in the room. If they're genuinely in need, meet that need if you can.
Notice that this verse doesn't say kindness will always feel good or instantly fix the relationship. It says your kindness will have an effect. Sometimes it softens a hard heart and opens the door to healing. Sometimes it stirs conviction in the other person. And even when it changes nothing in them, it changes everything in you, because bitterness loses its grip when your hands are busy doing good.
So here is your challenge for today: think of that one person, and do one small kind thing for them. Not to win, not to guilt them, but simply to obey God and let Him handle the rest. Forgiveness often starts with a single act of love we didn't feel like giving.
Dear Lord, You know the person who has hurt me, and You know how hard it is to show them kindness. Give me the strength to love the way You love, and set my heart free from bitterness as I trust You with the outcome. Amen.
Generate grounded questions from Romans 12:20 for personal reflection or group conversation.