Settling the Score

In review of 1 Peter 3:9 it says, “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t 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 grant you his blessing”

Bottom Line:

Don’t be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with kindness. You are God’s chosen ones, and he will bless you.

What this means to me:

I should not repay evil done to me with evil, nor should I replay an insult with an insult. Instead Paul tells me to pay them back with blessings for this is what God has called me to do. As I do, God will provide his blessings to me.

Today's verse comes from 1 Peter 3. Peter writes that all of us should be of one mind. We should sympathize with each other, and love, as brothers and sisters would. We are to be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. We should never repay evil for evil done to us. We should not retaliate with insults when we are insulted. Instead, Paul tells us to pay them back with a blessing for this is what God has called us to do. If we do, God will grant us his blessings.

I think that nothing crushes the spirit more than abuse; to feel devalued, unimportant, and misused. Jesus knows that. And he says, “I will care for you.”

What I’m learning is that the starting point in any healing is getting to know my Healer. I can start with, “Jesus, I don’t know how you did this, but you took the guilt for every sin in the world; the ones done to me and the ones done by me. I want to learn to love you. And I want you to come in and heal my heart and my mind and my body.”  And the good news is that he will.

When Jesus was abused, did he retaliate? Absolutely not! The Bible says, “Christ never verbally abused those who verbally abused him. When he suffered, he didn’t make any threats but left everything to the one who judges fairly” (1 Peter 2:23 GW).

I can count on the fact that one day God is going to balance the books and settle the score. One day God is going to right all the wrongs. At this point, the abusers will have to answer for their abuse. Based on my experience, I know that God is a truly just God. He can do a much better job at settling the score than I can. He wants me to leave it in his hands, because he’s God, and I’m not.

Today I will consider if I’m harboring anything against someone in my heart.  I will then turn to him with the goal of being tenderhearted and humble.