Coals of Kindness

I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  – Matthew 5:44

Those who believe these counterintuitive words of Christ, loving those who are humanly unloveable, become more like the Heavenly Father. Jesus explained that God sends the sun and rain on the just and unjust (Matthew 5:44-45). In other words, He provides for all people and so His followers are to act in the best interest of others. Regardless of how unpleasant someone may be, God intends for you to continue being a kind and generous person. 

In Romans 12:20, Paul says, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”  There are two takes to this scripture. One is that it will bring the persecutor to shame, as described in 1 Peter 3:16, “Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” Another interpretation, which fits with being kind, is that in the old days when someone’s fire went out, they had to borrow burning coals to relight their fire. They carried it home in pottery on their head. Heaping coals of fire would mean heaping kindness on your enemy. With either interpretation, a believer’s behavior is to be kind to their enemy.   

Reversing the flow of human indignation changes the flow to one of lovingkindness. Your good deeds will magnify Christ and could influence an unkind person to change their attitude. In your prayer time today, pray that believers in this nation will increase in loving behavior so that God is glorified and the tide of hate and division will be turned.