1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil with 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. 1 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
Today’s bible verse seems pretty straight forward. Peter offers the do's and don’ts of Christian living in a few pertinent phrases. After stressing the need for unity, brotherly love, sympathy, and compassion for other people, he urges believers not to repay evil for evil nor to respond to an insult with an equally disparaging remark. On the contrary, we are encouraged to give blessings."You were called for this, so that you can inherit a blessing from God." That sounds good, but oh how hard the first part will be for me!
For many years I officiated high school and college basketball. During those games, fans or coaches would give me and/or my partners “comments” about our calls. I would not say it was “evil” by my definition, but there were probably lots of insults (some very funny by the way). As an official, I figured that it was part of the game. As the saying goes “if you can’t take the heat, don’t go in the kitchen.” That was my attempt of not returning evil for evil.
I never really had any problems with fans, but the coaches (especially at the college level) were sometimes difficult to work for to say the least. It really didn’t occur to me during those games to repay an insult with a blessing. As officials, we always strive to be approachable to the coaches and listen to their comments, suggestions, or disagreement with our calls and to not take their comments personally. If a coach crosses the line, then we have the power to call a technical foul on the coach. However, does that not sound like repaying evil with eviI?
It is not only our Christian brethren that should be so treated, but we are called to love our enemies. There are three options in living the Christian life:
- We could follow the satanic path where both good and evil are repaid with evil.
- We could live our lives on a moral human level where we respond to good with good but recompense evil with evil.
- We could follow the example of Christ, where evil is repaid with good and where blessings are the response to an insult, for that is what God has called us to do.
He will bless us for it. We are called to be holy for He is holy, but His unattainable benchmark can only be attained with the help and power of the Holy Spirit.
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you ever had someone insult you? How did you react to that person?
- Have you ever given a blessing to someone who mistreated or insulted you?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for this challenging verse. In my flesh when I am wronged, I want to lash out and return evil for evil. But help me to walk in spirit and truth. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may I honestly and wholeheartedly return a blessing to the person who dealt evil to me. Thank you for the promise that by doing this, I will inherit a blessing. And thank you that your grace is sufficient for all eventualities of life. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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