A wonderful Tuesday morning to you, my friend! May our Good God bless you and your loved ones today!
Read 1 Peter 3:8 – 12 (again).
Yesterday, we considered the richness of verse 8 of this portion of Peter’s first letter to the young churches in Asia Minor.
As you read these few verses again, take note of the following:
Peter tells these early believers to respond to being cursed and reviled not in like manner, but by blessing those that are doing the cursing and reviling! Our brothers and sisters that comprised these early churches lived in areas and regularly faced circumstances that resulted in their persecution; Peter’s exhortation for them to respond by blessing their abusers differentiated these “Christians” from all other religions and brought glory to the Name of Jesus. During these times in which it appears open persecution of Christ-followers is on the rise, we would do well to consider how we will respond when we are cursed and reviled!
And along those lines, Peter adds important insight on a Kingdom principle – when we bless others (even those who curse us), we inherit a blessing! So, bless others and see how much our Good God will pour His blessing out upon you!
Finally, Peter ends this passage by quoting from Psalm 34:
“For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain 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 prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.””
“the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,”
And what does it truly mean to be righteous? Righteous here is translated from the Hebrew word “tsadiyq”, a word that is somewhat difficult to directly convey in English. However, the concept of being righteous means to pursue the path of the LORD in every aspect: His commandments, His holiness, His ways, His justice, His will. To be righteous is to pursue God’s will and God’s path for our lives in a manner that will bring Him glory. It is to walk uprightly before the LORD, laying aside our own desires, and taking up His calling for our lives in every area, little and big.
Being righteous is a high standard. Jesus modeled it for us while He was on the earth. God has sent His Spirit to help us be righteous.
LORD, Your word says that Your eyes are on the righteous. I desire to walk in a righteous manner before You today. Help me, LORD, always to do Your will; to pursue Your desires; and to walk the path You have ordained for me; in the Precious and Powerful Name of Jesus! Amen!