Head: Know God's Word | Heart: Love God | Hands: Follow God's Way
Read 1 Peter 3:8-22
Head
God knows how much we love our families. It's incredible that He uses Peter to encourage Christians in this passage to love one another as we love our brothers and sisters. We are urged to have compassion for each other and to be tenderhearted and courteous. He teaches us not to return evil for evil; instead, we are to bless others. This can often be challenging, but we can remember that God’s Word promises blessings for those who follow His guidance. Do you know someone who has FOMO (fear of missing out)? If there’s anything we don’t want to miss out on, it's a blessing from God! He desires us to live rightly as we interact with one another, doing so with gentleness and respect even when facing negativity. This passage teaches us to remain calm and kind in the face of criticism or hostility.
Heart
My youngest son loved playing video games on his XBOX. Sometimes, the games would get heated, and players could become hostile. Our first instinct might be to respond with this same hostility, but Scripture teaches us not to return evil for evil. This can be difficult because our natural tendency is to treat others as they treat us. This is not a big deal when everyone is playing nice. The real challenge comes when we strive to meet hostility with gentleness and humility, as the Bible instructs us. This approach not only aligns with God’s teachings but also transforms our hearts and relationships, showing others the love of Christ through our actions.
Hands
Putting Love into Action
What does this look like in real life? Imagine encountering hostility in a game, school, work, or anywhere. If we respond with the same negativity, what message do we send? Consider if the person showing hostility is not a Christian and doesn't come from a Christian home. If we were to invite them to church, would they be interested based on our actions? Personally, I would be more open to an invitation to learn about God from someone who treats others with kindness and gentleness, even when provoked. Our actions can either build bridges or barriers to sharing God’s love. Let’s choose to act in a way that invites others to experience God’s grace through us.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank you for your Word and the instruction it gives us on how to treat others. Help us to be mindful of how we treat others, asking ourselves would our actions lead them to come to know Christ as their Savior. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.