Being a Blessing to Others

1 Peter 3:8-12

Blessing to Others

V.8 (Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous :)

Be of one mind, there are times that I wonder if I am of one mind let alone being of like minded with all. To be of two minds is to be tossed about by every doctrine that comes along, unsure of truth and following the winds of popular doctrine instead of being grounded in the word. A double minded person is unstable in their thinking, and hurtful in their own witness. For how can anyone be convinced of the truth of the gospel, if one is unsure of it themselves? Prayerfully spending time in God’s word is the only cure for this disease of being of two minds. Spending time in the word, surrounded by prayer, allows God to open His word unto you in a way that you can understand it. God has given us a book, as a message from Him, and through the Holy Spirit, opens this word to His followers.

Peter is talking of being of one mind not only with ourselves, but with others as well. Does this mean everyone, or just those in the church? Does this mean every church or just our own? Peter is talking about the church and its unity, which is essential for growth, and peace in the church and our families. Though we may not agree with everyone outside and inside the church, or even in our own families, we should agree on the essentials of salvation. I am in fellowship with many believers that have different opinions of faith, and belong to many different denominations, yet we share in essentials of salvation, being salvation by faith through grace. I know one brother that believes that the King James Version of the Bible is the only one to use. Does this cause us to fall out of fellowship, because I have six different translations? No, we are connected by a common bond of being family, united by the blood of Christ and sharing in the same inheritance in Heaven. At this time we will be with Christ the living word, and translations will be meaningless. This is the question we should ask as we debate over the finer points of religion, when religion is gone and the truth of Jesus is revealed to all, will these things matter?

So how do we treat others in the churches that don’t share our opinions? Peter says to love one another as brothers, showing compassion on those that have differing opinions, and be courteous to them. Since we know from previous lessons, these were a people under persecution from those who did not understand there new faith, they were to show compassion to their persecutors as well, understanding that a good witness goes a long way to leading others to Christ. I talked to a friend recently, who told me he was beat over the back of the head by the Bible, not literally, and this caused him to walk away from the faith. He can quote scripture to you, but it has lost its meaning to him.

V. 9 (not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.)

Peter knew that his readers would be hated and treated with evil for Christ sake, but how are we to act when others revile us, and treat us unkindly for the sake of Christ, or just because they intend evil? This talks against revenge against those who harm us. The law will take care of those who seek to do us harm, but we are not to take the law into our own hands. Christianity tells us to go one step further, and bless those who seek to harm us. Matthew 5:44 says to love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those that persecute you.

In "Context," Mary Marty retells a parable from the "Eye of the Needle" newsletter: A holy man was engaged in his morning meditation under a tree whose roots stretched out over the riverbank. During his meditation he noticed that the river was rising, and a scorpion caught in the roots was about to drown. He crawled out on the roots and reached down to free the scorpion, but every time he did so, the scorpion struck back at him. An observer came along and said to the holy man, "Don't you know that's a scorpion, and it's in the nature of a scorpion to want to sting?" To which the holy man replied, 'That may well be, but it is my nature to save, and must I change my nature because the scorpion does not change its nature?" Joseph B. Modica.

Our calling as Christians gives us great reward both in our live and in heaven, but it also calls us to great responsibilities. One of the hardest tasks I had to learn as a Christian was to pray for my enemies. I had heard to pray for my enemies, so that hot coals would come down upon their heads. I liked this idea, of them being burnt up from fire from God. As I matured and began to realize that it meant conviction from God and not literal fire, praying for them became harder, yet it is my Christian duty, so I must. This also allows a release of anger, that I harbor in myself, so that the prayer is not only beneficial to my enemies, but to me as well. I feel that God allows certain thing to happen in our lives, just to see our reaction, when we don’t repay evil for evil, than our Father in heaven will bless us even as we bless others.

Vs. 10, 11, 12. (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.”)

Peter quotes Psalm 34:12-16 to drive his point home saying that those who wish to live long and prosper, to steal a line form Mr. Spock, must act in these ways: 1. They must refrain from evil speaking, this includes lying and slandering. 2. One must avoid flattery, which covers hypocritical speech with wicked intentions, or for self gain. 3. They must avoid evil, continuing in a life style that walks away from evil. 4. We must do good, and continue in a lifestyle that promotes righteousness. 5. One must live peaceably with all men, seeking peace where it has been lost, even within ourselves, restoring it where it has been broken, and pursue it where it seems to be fleeing. When we live by our passions and not by the word of God, we tend to shorten our days here on earth. Not that we can not act passionately for the cause of Christ, for this is what drives many of us to serve God, but not to live in the passions of this world. I have always believed that you can get so far from God, as a Christian, that He would shorten your days on earth rather then see you lost, in your sins. These verses seem to confirm my thinking, for if the Lord can lengthen your days, surely He can shorten them.

In a story taken from Clarke’s commentary, there was a certain person, traveling through the city, continuously calling out, “Who wants the elixir of life?” The daughter of a rabbi said, “What is this elixir of life that you sell?” He answered, “Is it not written, What man is it that loves life, and desires to see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking evil. This is elixir of life, and is found in the mouth of man.”

James 1:26 says; If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own head, this one’s religion is useless.

The righteous person is continually under the eye of God, he attracts Divine notice, and where ever he is there is the ear of God. For every righteous person is indeed a person of prayer, and whenever they pray, as soon as they form the words enter into the presence of God. But the face of God is turned from the evil person and they literally have no prayer, as theirs fall upon deaf ears. The arm of His justice is against them, to draw them from the evil lifestyle, unto the grace of God.