Daily Devotional, Year 4, October 19 (Through Jesus’ Eyes, Part 2: “Overcome Evil with Good”)
By admin On June 23rd, 2026.
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Today’s Devotional, Year 4 – October 19
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Through Jesus’ Eyes!
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Part 2
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“Overcome Evil with Good”
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“But I (Jesus) say unto you,
Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you,
and persecute you;”
Matthew 5:44
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Ray Charles probably never got accused of being a Christian.
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On the contrary, he was pretty much on the no-play list of most Christian households, or so the general consensus was.
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BANNED IN GEORGIA
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And yet, a well-known story is that He got banned from performing in the state of Georgia after he cancelled a show because of discrimination against the black audiences who were required to sit up in the balcony.
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After that even his music was banned on Georgia radio stations.
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1943 Colored Waiting Room Sign in Georgia – – wikipedia – This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division
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RAY SENDS GEORGIA A LOVE-SONG!
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Well, this controversy continued for several decades.
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But one day he sang and recorded a beautiful love-song dedicated to that state, called “Georgia on My Mind”.
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And well, that haunting love-ballad (along with societal changes over time) eventually melted the hearts of the Georgia residents, ultimately becoming the state’s official anthem.
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File:Ray Charles plaza.jpg – Wikimedia Commons
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“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
Matthew 24:12
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On this rebel planet, there is no shortage of ways to become offended.
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And the world has its ways of dealing with offences: divorce, hate, revenge, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, slander, violence, censure, etc…
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Let’s face it! It’s a “You hit me, and I’ll hit back harder” world we live in.
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And as a result, it’s also a very unhappy world in many ways and many times.
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Our ways of dealing with offences just isn’t working very well, to put it mildly!
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Antifa @ Protest Trump in Phoenix – 8-22-17 – Wikipedia – GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
Anti Trump Protests in Baltimore – Elvert Barnes PROTEST PHOTOGRAPHY elvertbarnes.com – protest photography – cropped photo – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
Clenched human fist – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
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“I drew them with…bands of love:”
Hosea 11:4
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God sent His Son, Jesus, into this troubled world to show us the proper way to deal with offences.
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As a matter of fact, He came to a world that wanted nothing to do with Him…
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…and yet, He came with sympathy and forgiveness, and many acts of love and mercy.
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And as a climactic finale, He allowed us to hang Him on a cruel Roman cross and took our sins upon Him as the sacrificial Lamb of God.
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Yes, He bled and died for those who despised Him…as He uttered the words, “Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do” Luke 23:34
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Crucifixion darkness – Jesus on the Cross – Gustave Dore – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36:26
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When we begin to follow that Lamb, God gives us a new heart, a heart of love and forgiveness.
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And now, we look at the world through Jesus’ eyes…through eyes of love, sympathy, and forgiveness.
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Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
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“By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
John 13:35
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And though we may not write a beautiful song of love like Ray sang…
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…nevertheless, we can indeed write our own love-song in the form of prayer for those who may despise us, and for those who despitefully use us, those who neglect and/or reject us.
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And that “love-song” comes in the form of prayer for them…
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…speaking only kind words to them and about them…
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…doing good deeds for them should the opportunity arise.
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Even a warm and sincere smile can often work wonders to melt the cold and indifferent heart of another.
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Yes, love is Heaven’s weapon of war against evil…
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…and as we grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, our love, understanding, and sympathy will only grow deeper and brighter!
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Sailors and Marines sing Christmas carols – Wikimedia – Public-domain
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to have this experience. Let me become Thy Disciple and follower. Help me to think on Thy Word, as I go about my daily tasks…
Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read…
“The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven)”…
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…or you can also read this shorter article…
“February 18 (Martha, the “Doer” & Mary, the “Hearer”)“
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S HEAVENLY SIGN
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LOCATING ORION THE ARCHER
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“He hath bent His bow,
and set me as a mark for the arrow.
He hath caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my reins.
I was a derision to all my people;
and their song all the day.”
Lamentations 3:12-14
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Orion travels through the night skies, starting about late September in the pre-dawn hours.
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This 1st office which Orion holds, as an Archer, is fairly easy to see.
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His bow is pointed and bent as if ready to shoot his arrows.
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But why astronomers have never noticed this Dragon to his left, is truly a puzzle!
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It’s so obvious; at least his crocodile mouth is obvious. (Perhaps God is sending the message that Satan (the real Dragon) is so obviously real, and yet so few in this world are ready to recognize him.)
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This Archer-Orion corresponds to the 1st Horseman of Revelation, Chapter 6, speaking of a rider with a bow who goes out conquering.
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And so, this article is dedicated to show just what Orion the Archer is speaking of, in Scripture, and how this all relates to you and me. So read on and observe…
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Orion courtesy IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine & Wikipedia – share-alike license
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Orion The Archer”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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TOMORROW:
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October 20 (And He Spake As A Dragon! Part 2: “Satan’s Cheerleading Squad”)
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