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Friday, September 4, 2026

Bless and Do Not Curse

Scripture — Romans 12:14, 17–18 (NRSV)

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.... Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

Devotion

“Bless those who persecute you.”

That is one of those sentences we might prefer Paul had left out.

It would be easier if he had said, Ignore those who persecute you. Keep your distance. Don't retaliate. Just go on with your life.

But Paul goes further. “Bless and do not curse them.”

Paul isn't pretending that nothing wrong has happened. He uses the word persecute. These are people who have caused real harm. Nor does he tell Christians to surrender their convictions or cooperate with evil. He simply refuses to let the wrongdoing of another person determine what kind of person a follower of Jesus will become.

That matters because contempt can feel wonderfully righteous when we believe we are right.

We can convince ourselves that because someone's actions are wrong, our hatred is justified. We stop seeing a person and begin seeing an enemy, an ideology, a problem, one of “those people.” Before long, we may still be defending the truth, but we are doing it in a way that looks nothing like Jesus.

Paul draws a boundary for us: you may not repay evil with evil.

That doesn't mean silence. It doesn't mean pretending injustice doesn't matter. Sometimes love itself requires us to speak clearly, resist courageously, and say, “This is wrong.”

But even then, the person standing against us remains someone Jesus calls us to love.

That may be one of the clearest forms of Christian witness in a polarized world: to hold deep convictions without contempt, to oppose what is wrong without delighting in another person's destruction, and even in conflict to keep seeking whatever peace remains possible.

You may encounter someone today who frustrates you, opposes you, or sees the world very differently from you.

You don't have to agree.

You don't have to surrender what you believe.

But because you belong to Jesus, you get to choose to bless rather than to curse.

Daily Bread

Faithfulness never requires me to hate the person standing against me.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, teach me to love when love is difficult. Give me courage to resist what is wrong without allowing contempt to take root in me. Guard my words, soften my heart, and help me see even those who oppose me as people you love. Amen.

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