1 Peter 3:8-12 – Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
When I was first learning how to drive, our instructor showed us a video of one car crash after another. We watched seemingly every possible way that someone could veer off course and crash. The most terrifying videos were the head-on collisions. In those cases, it was often two people making major errors at the same time that led to the worst collisions.
Three decades later, our entire culture seems like a series of car crashes and head-on collisions. The world we live in is not unified, kind, loving, tenderhearted, or open to the possibility that their viewpoint is wrong. The results are relational crashes and collisions.
Knowing this fact all too well as a seasoned pastor, Peter gives us five things that God promises to those who do the right thing. Often, we do the wrong thing believing the lie that it will make things better. Here’s the list that God promises:
- God will help us love life
- God will help us see good days
- God will help us enjoy peace
- God will answer our prayers
- God will deal with evildoers for us
Christian faith is often the simple act of taking people and outcomes out of your hands, placing them in God’s hands, trusting Him to do what is right and best, and then accepting the outcome. When we do this, we can move on from the people who are harming us to the God who can heal us.
Who and/or what do you need to hand to God and respond to rightly so you can heal up and move on?
To download the free e-book ODD LIFE: Good God which is a study in 1 Peter for individuals, groups, and families from Pastor Mark click HERE. To listen to Pastor Mark’s 9 sermons on 1 Peter preached in the summer of 2020, click HERE. These and other resources are made possible by our ministry partners who support Real Faith as a Bible teaching ministry of Mark Driscoll Ministries to whom we say THANK YOU!