This concept of turn around might not be what you think. It’s not a physical type of changing direction, but a way of thinking that is of the Kingdom of God. Let me explain this to you in a way that I hope you will understand.
Someone does you harm, you react in the flesh and want to harm that person. This is a fleshly reaction. It’s like someone punches you and you punch them back. Jesus taught us not to react like that. He was teaching to react from the spirit. He said, Luke 6:27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. We see that Jesus was teaching to do good in God’s eyes and people will see that you are different than the rest of the world. You don’t react as they would, but in turn you do not, I repeat, you do not repay what they have done to you the same way they did to you. One of the first Bible verses that struck me, meaning this had the most impact was 1 Peter 3:9. At that time I was reading the NIV Bible. It reads; 1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. This is the concept of turn around. How does God our Father repay those who repay evil with a blessing? Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
When you are blessing others may not be what you think as well. The verses we just read tells us to pray for those who despitefully use us. This is how we are to operate from the Kingdom of God. When people do you wrong and all you can do is love them, do you not think that God our Father reacts the same way to us? If it is the goodness and kindness of God that lead men to repent, why not repay evil with a blessing so they see Father in us?
I love how Graham Cooke in this video used this very example.
