Romans 12

Verse 21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

In 1967 the city of Detroit erupted in a terrible riot. Businesses were broken into, homes and buildings were set on fire and thousands of people were arrested. Detroit looked like a war zone.

Parts of Detroit still look like a war zone today. Shops that were boarded up in 1967 are still boarded up... they never re-opened.

Many people moved out of the city following the riots, you could call it a mass exodus. A city that once had over 2,000,000 residents is down to around 700,000. 1.3 million people is a lot of people. There are 10 states that have 1.3 million people or less.

The economy hasn't helped, but the problem started long before the bad economy.

People moved away because of evil. People moved away as gun shots continued to fire through the night, as more homes either burnt down or became infested by drug users, and still more moved away after the elected officials were exposed for the thieves and bullies they are. Evil had taken over and there was no one left to fight.

It's normal to flee when evil comes around. What's not normal is to stay and fight it.

Paul is telling the church at Rome to fight evil with good. Do not run from evil, but confront your enemies with love. Verse 20 says loving your enemies "will heap burning coals on their head."

You know what happens when you heap stuff on someone's head? You bury them. Love buries evil. Evil can not bury love, it can only make love scatter.

It's hard to love that which is evil. But if we don't, we've seen what can happen. But it's never too late. Love is never out of the game.

It starts now and it starts with us.

Evil doesn't just live in Detroit, it lives everywhere. But so does love, and love is stronger.

Love wins everytime.

Love won on a cross.

And it can win across our city, state, country and world.

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Speaking of Detroit, I'm going there for a week vacation. Which means no blog next week. We will finish Romans the week after. I was going to blog during vacation but one of the members of the executive committee at my church told me not to... so I will listen to her!

Have a great 4th!