Here we go with our verse for the first of May...a few days late. We had a busy weekend with baseball starting up and a very exciting Sunday for the Sweet House, but I'll have to tell you about that in the next post. I had this verse written in my spiral for a while, so I have already been thinking about it.
1 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Here are some thoughts about it.
Peter had to say
all of you didn't he. For the most part I can get along and live in harmony with just about anyone. Occasionally people cross my path that I would just as soon not be around or would just like to be exempt from the command to live in harmonty with. But no, Peter said
all of you--no exemptions here.
He also had to say
humble. My toes are getting sore here! For years I have had a warped view of humility. I thought I was being humble to put myself down, but in reality that is just a twisted version of pride. I struggled to understand that verse that says "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought" (Romans 12:3). I have heard it explained that you shouldn't think of your self as often. With a spotlight on insecurity lately, I have become aware of how often I checked myself in the space. I was constantly thinking
do I look ok, was what I said stupid, are they talking about me, they think I'm ___, and on and on. Humility is loving and serving while understanding who I am in Christ. (My favorite picture of this is John 13:3-5.) Now I find myself thinking about me less often. And when I'm out of the way, I can be sympathetic, compassionate, and think of others.
In a house with children, I often hear crying and the cause is usually a hit and a hit back. It is just in our nature when we feel pain to want to inflict pain in return. As adults we hopefully grow out of the hitting stage, but insults can fly. In Christ I have a new nature, so I don't have to act according to the old nature, but I do have to react in a new way intentionally. It won't just happen. Ephesians 4:22-24 says "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Choose to put on the new self and react according to His divine nature. (look 2 Peter 1:3-9 too)
What does the new self do instead? Bless. I knew that in this relationship with the occasional person I have a hard time getting along with God had been doing a lot of work on my heart, but now it is time for an action step. And the action required is to bless. The problem is I don't know how to do that. Thankfully I have a big God who loves to teach me! A few weeks ago I went on a ladies' retreat and met a lady for the first time in our small group. One of our group assignments was to say something we admired about each one in our group. This lady didn't know any of us, but she spoke to the heart and motivation behind our actions that she had seen that day. That really touched my heart! What a blessing! I want to learn how to bless like that!
We were
called to live intentionally in this way. It is part of the purpose of our lives.
And it comes with benefits--inheriting the blessing of God. Wow! If what that lady said was so special, can you imagine how much more it will be when God is speaking the blessing! That is worth it! It gives me the desire to obey and do this action step even if it is difficult at first.
Beth Moore used this verse in her "Inheritance" study. Here are a few quotes from session 9.
"The whole concept of inheritance can change the way we react to evil and insult."
"We were appointed to manifest Christ when someone is ugly to us."
"We can not do this on our own nature, but only because we are inhabited by Christ and He makes us super natural."
