Proverbs 25:21-22

"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you." - Proverbs 25:21-22

Any of us can think of a situation where we have wronged somebody. In the heat of the moment, we did or said something to them that was messed up. And most of the time, our action provoked an even stronger reaction by the other person. But imagine if instead of reacting like that person did, they simply gave you a hug and apologized? Although many times we don't want to "feed our enemies" so to speak, doing so shows God's love within us. This "heaps burning coals" on them, and as one bible commentary says, it melts them into repentance and love. Romans 12:20 in the New Testament also quotes this Proverb.

Try to think of a time when you have helped your enemy. I am trying to think of a time when I have "fed my enemy," and I'm drawing a blank. If you're like me and can't remember doing this, we really need to make a conscious effort to not only restrain ourselves from our enemy, but HELP them. I have restrained myself many times from taking revenge or saying something back to people. But to restrain yourself and actually help them, that's even more of a challenge.