Returning Good for Evil
In today's Extreme Devotion we see the love of Christ displayed through the actions of a loving pastor and his wife.
The Romanian pastor and his wife had hidden Soviet soldiers during the Nazi occupation of their country. Now it was Nazi soldiers who needed refuge.
Three German officers hid in the little building behind their house. The pastor’s wife sneaked them food and emptied their waste buckets at night. As a Jew, she felt hatred for their actions—they had murdered her entire family. But as a Christian, she felt compelled to aid the refugees and offer them physical and spiritual support.
The show of favor intrigued the captain: “I wonder why a Jewess should risk her life for a German soldier? I do not like Jews, and I do not fear God. I must tell you that when the German army recaptures Bucharest, and it surely will, I will never return the favor to you.”
The pastor’s wife was undaunted by his cold heart. She continued preaching to him, “Even the worst crimes are forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ. I have no authority to forgive, but Jesus does, if you repent.” The officer replied, “I won’t say I understand you. But perhaps if more people had this gift of returning good for evil, then there would be less killing.”
The officers soon escaped to Germany, still unrepentant. But the pastor and his wife had done their part in showing them the true meaning of Christianity.
Jesus shared a parable about a farmer who sowed seeds in different types of soil, producing different results. In his story, the seed is the Word of God. Like birds who gobble up the trampled seeds outside a garden, the devil wants to take God’s Word away from those who hear it. In contrast, those who represent good soil receive God’s Word and respond. Whenever we share the gospel with others, we don’t know what type of “soil” is in their hearts. We can’t be responsible for their response, positive or negative. Are you discouraged because someone did not respond to the gospel? You have done your part. Now let God do his.