“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:14, 15 NASB)

I would like to pose a question to you. Which is easier to do, weeping with those who weep, or rejoicing with those who rejoice? Before you answer please consider the following points, because I am convinced that it is easier to weep with those who weep.

Of course it is easy to rejoice with a family member or close friend that is joyful over a happy turn of events. But what about the co-worker who gets the promotion we felt should have been ours? Do we succumb to envy, or do we rejoice with them and really mean it? When the Apostle Paul wrote these words, he didn’t put any qualifiers on it. We are to rejoice with those that rejoice, period!

“Yes, but what about those who persecute me?” I’m glad you asked! Did you notice verse 14 above? It says to bless those who persecute you. Again, there is no exception clause here. But what does it mean for us to bless them? It means we are to speak well of them, even when they are speaking evil of us. We are to pray for the conversion and salvation of their souls, not for their eternal destruction. Later in this same passage, he puts it this way:

“BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:20, 21 NASB)

Sounds to me like we don’t have any choice in the matter if we want to be pleasing to God. So if your enemy is rejoicing over receiving something good, then rejoice with him. Even if they are going behind your back and despise you, follow the biblical admonition to “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.” (Romans 12:17 NASB)

In the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5, Jesus addressed this subject as well.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48 NASB)

But why does God require us to treat “evil” people this way? Because that’s the way He treated us!

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 NASB)

Yes, while we were sinners and His enemies, Christ died for us. He didn’t wait until we changed our minds and wanted to have a relationship with Him. He died for us while we were squarely in the dominion of darkness. And if we have received the mercy and grace ourselves, we would be despising the love that was demonstrated for us to withhold that from others who are our enemies.

So when someone who is out to get you gets a promotion, or when another who is less deserving gets a raise, or someone else marries the one who you once were so close to, rejoice with them! The only way way to overcome darkness is with the light. And the way to overcome evil is with goodness. In the end, you will preserve your soul, and may deliver theirs as well!