1 Peter 3:8-9 - Living in Harmony With One Another.
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. 9
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.
1 Peter 3:8-9 (NLT) Finally, all of you
should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other.
Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be
tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Dont repay
evil for evil. Dont retaliate with insults
when people insult you. Instead, pay them back
with a blessing. That is what God has called you
to do, and he will bless you for it.
INTRODUCTION
In our fallen world, it is often deemed
acceptable by some to tear people down verbally or to
get back at them if we feel hurt. Peter,
remembering Jesus' teaching to turn the other cheek
(Matthew 5:39), encourages his readers to pay back
wrongs with a blessing, such as praying for the
offenders. In God's Kingdom, revenge is unacceptable
behavior, as is insulting a person, no matter how
indirectly it is done. Rise above getting back at those
who hurt you. Instead of reacting angrily to
these people, pray for them. [Life Application
SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
To bless others is the very calling of a
Christian. As Peter writes, "Do not repay evil for evil
or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay
evil with blessing, because to this you were
called so that you may inherit a blessing." That's
part of the mystery and beauty of life in Jesus.
When you give something of value in His name - a
gift, an insight, a kind word, your time and help,
a prayer, a listening ear - it works its way
back to your benefit. But rarely at the same time
or in the same way! Filtered through God's
wisdom and providence, it returns to you as
something incredibly encouraging and helpful at a
moment when you least expect it. It may not even be
in this life at all, but it will accrue to your
benefit and delight in heaven. But be assured of
this: God is an incomparable bookkeeper, and He
never loses track of one kindness done in the name
of His Son.
What a delight! Bless You, Father, for
making this a principle of life: "Give, and it will
be given to you pressed down, shaken
together poured into your lap" (Luke 6:38). What
a sweetness to think that gifts given here on
earth have a triple impact - first on the
receiver, then on the giver, and then on Jesus
Himself! [A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada
and Larry Libby]
COMMENTARY
Look Beyond the Words to the Feelings
What people say in a conversation is not
nearly as important as what they are feeling. Many
times, someone is saying one thing and feeling
another.
If you're going to be a great listener,
then you need to look past peoples words, even
when what they're saying is offensive. Hurt
people hurt people, and words are an effective
weapon. When people lash out or get defensive,
its often because they're afraid, insecure, or
frustrated.
And you know what? Once you recognize
people may be feeling those things, it's much
easier to focus on listening to what theyre
really trying to say. Its much harder to be
sympathetic when you think people are saying something
unkind because theyre just spiteful or mean.
Words dont always give you the whole
picture. You sometimes have to look for the open
nerve. You have to look at what someone has
experienced. You have to ask why this issue may be a big
deal to the person. You listen for the pain,
understanding that sometimes the pain doesn't have
anything to do with you. Some pain is so deep it
clouds every interaction someone has. The words may
just be a mask for pain.
Learning to listen in love means looking
past the things people are saying to what they
might be feeling.
"Sympathize with each other. Love each
other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted,
and keep a humble attitude" (1 Peter 3:8 NLT).
When you're humble, you're open to new
ideas. When you're loving and sympathetic, you
don't bite back. If people get angry with you, you
know to look past their anger and ask, What
are they afraid of? What are they anxious or
fearful about? What has hurt them?
You wont always know people well
enough to figure out exactly whats pressing on
their nerves. You may not be able to figure out
whats going on with their emotions. When that
happens, you just have to give them the benefit of
the doubt. You have to choose humility and
kindness over getting the last word. You have to give
people grace instead of getting even or making your
point.
Even when faced with harsh words, a great
listener always chooses love. [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Do You Have a Safety Net?
As a pastor, I see situations every day
that no one should ever have to go through
alone.
Nobody should ever have to wait alone in
the hospital while a loved one is in
life-or-death surgery. No woman should ever have to wait
alone for the lab report on a problem pregnancy.
Nobody should ever have to wait alone for news from
a battlefield. No one should ever have to
stand alone at the edge of an open grave. Nobody
should ever have to spend the first night alone
when their spouse has just walked out.
Lifes tough times and tragedies are
inevitable; each of us will face them. But you dont
need to go through them alone. You need Gods
safety net to help hold you up through difficult
times.
What is Gods safety net? It is a group
of other believers"a handful of people who
are really committed to you. We call this kind
of group a community. Heres Gods plan for
community: If one part suffers, every part suffers
with it (1 Corinthians 12:26 NIV). Community
is Gods answer to despair.
Romans 12:15 expresses a similar idea:
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who
mourn (NIV).
The first part of that verse is easy to
do. When something good happens to someone,
its often easy to join in on the party.
But when someone is having a tough time,
it can seem more difficult to get involved.
But, really, its simple. When youre going
through a crisis, you dont want advice; you just
want somebody to sit with you, hold your hand,
put an arm around your shoulder, or cry with
you. You want someone simply to be with you.
Paul says, Therefore encourage one
another and build each other up (1 Thessalonians
5:11 NIV). But encouraging someone else doesnt
always mean giving a pep talk or offering words of
wisdom. Sometimes the best kind of encouragement is
just sitting in silence, waiting and weeping with
a friend.
Do you have a safety net, a group of
fellow Christians that you know you can count on in
lifes toughest times? If not, go out today and
begin building those friendships. The hard times
in life are inevitable. Dont go into them
unprepared. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Ephesians 4:32 - The Grace of Kindness and
Compassion.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2009/20090813-1021.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
