May 18, 2022 MARCHING ORDERS
1 Peter 3:8-12 “To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for this very purpose that you might inherent a blessing. For, ‘Let him who means to love life and see good days refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile. And let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Should we ever struggle with doubt or confusion as to how to live as believers, embracing and putting into action the instructions given in these scriptures will put is on the right track. The beauty of this passage is that one cannot miss or confuse what is being said; the instructions are simple, yet powerful. If you had to choose a passage of scripture that sums up what the life of a believer is to look like, this would be a good one. These verses instruct us as to how we are to relate to others, and also addresses the desires and motivations of our hearts. A key word at the beginning of this passage is the word ‘let.’ These attributes are not forced upon us, and at the same time they are contrary to our flesh; so we must make a choice. As so often said, we have a choice of living according to our old self, the flesh, or according to the Spirit. The neat thing is that the instructions given above are not a list of rules we must keep; they are a picture of life lived according to the Spirit. It is God’s desire that His followers live in unity where actions are governed by love-and this love is the love of God that He has poured out into our hearts. The love of God has certain characteristics as seen in these verses; in 1 Corinthians 13 we find even more insight to the love of God. Human love alone is insufficient; in order for this passage to be experienced among believers, it is essential to know the love of God. You may think that it is unrealistic to say that we can actually live in such a way as depicted in these verses, but it is not. We have the power to ‘let’ these things be expressed. We must remember that God has a nature, and He has certain ways, and we have been given a new nature like His-so the big idea, and our calling is to now live according to His ways. One instruction we have concerns what kind of words we speak; our words reveal our heart. Also, we are to turn away from evil; we must resist yielding to what is evil in the sight of God. (We have on our iPhones and televisions access to all sorts of evil-be on guard.) Let us thank God that in this ungodly culture in which we live, He has instructed us as to how we are to live; not only has He instructed us, He has also equipped us and empowered us to live according to His ways.
Philippians 2:3 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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