CALLED TO BLESSING
1 PETER 3:8-12
1 PETER 3:8-12 NKJ
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For
"He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
As we read the book of First Peter, it becomes so plain the great work God did in him. Peter was the brash, verbal, strong personality disciple that God transformed. The man who got in trouble with his mouth is now showing others how to live and talk and be blessed. So if you think you are hopeless, think again. In this chapter, Peter, or rather the Holy Spirit through Peter, gives instructions for husband and wives. Then he moves into how we are to treat one another in the Body of Christ.
We are not to return evil for evil. Not to return unkind words for unkind words. But instead, we bless. We bless and speak good because we are called to inherit a blessing from God. But if we get involved with tit for tat, unkind words, and ways, we will miss the blessing that was to come our way.
This is backed up by the next three verses. Peter is quoting from Psalm 34, and he directly connects life and good days to speaking good words, turning away from evil, and pursuing peace.
So, called to blessing involves conditions. And most of those conditions revolve around how we treat others.
APPLICATION:
One of the saddest observations I have made as a pastor is the amount of people who feel so free to speak evil. We expect it from the world, but we are seeing way too much in the Body of Christ.
We cannot ignore this passage and believe we are going to reap God's blessings in our lives. We can't blow people up on social media in Jesus' name. We are called to blessings, but we are also called to live to a higher standard. Some tenderhearted compassion mixed with some brotherly love is the recipe for blessings. One of my sayings for years has been, "If you want God's blessings you have to do things God’s way." This truth applies across the board, from finances to marriage to work to our relationship with the world we touch. We are called to blessing, so let's align ourselves with God's way and receive His best for us.
PRAYER:
Thank You for showing me the path to Your blessings, Lord. Now please strengthen me to walk this path.