Bless! Bless! Do not Curse!

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited..
Romans 12:14-16, The New International Version

Today's encouragement is found in a simple phrase, "Bless. Bless. Do not curse." I believe this is the Holy Spirit's way of reminding us to pause, breathe, count to ten, and remember how much we are loved by God. Once we are there, we will be able to see others like Jesus did.

In Matthew 5, Jesus is instructing His followers with similar advice. Let's listen in...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and a tooth for tooth But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:38-45

Both Paul and Jesus understand that those who hurt us will never get true justice from us. We do not know how to give justice and must leave it into the hands of the Father. Therefore, we are instructed to bless. This way we satisfy the requirement of the Law of the Kingdom which is to love and we make room for the righteous judge to take care of things. When we step in with revenge or retribution, we only magnify the issue.

I think the reason this concept is repeated three times is that it takes that many times for us to get it. "Bless!" I said, "Bless." I said, "Do not curse." You can see him holding his hand up to us when we are angry. Let's follow the exhortation and watch the Father bring His loving justice into our relationships.

Here are our action plans today:

  1. Is there someone you are having a hard time blessing right now? Pray that the Lord will bless them. Eventually, your heart will follow. Ask the Lord to forgive you for wanting to curse them.

  2. As we enter into this week, there are many other ways to apply this verse. Find some ways to bless those you are not in conflict with. Everyone needs a word of encouragement.

Have a great day!

Love, Pastor Stuart