Simple Instructions
(S) Scripture
For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
1 Peter 3:10-12 (NIV)
(O) Observation
Peter is using instructions from the Psalms to tell believers how to live. These are simple and direct. They are easy to understand and yet are profound in their impact on our lives.
(A) Application
Today I want my speech and attitude to glorify Christ. It is the only way to experience the abundant Life that He has for us as believers. There is no place for lies and demeaning and evil speech. Those reveal a heart that is far from God. I want to seek peace in the midst of some conflict. Today I will pursue righteousness.
(P) Prayer
Lord, use me today. Help me to keep my tongue in check and only speak words that edify and build up the body of Christ. Amen
1 comment:
Can you imagine how shocking these words must have seemed to Peter's readers? They were going through intense suffering and yet the writer pens words that focus on phrases like "the good life." And he also promises that God hears righteous prayers. They must have read it and thought, "you've got to be kidding Pete my man! We don't have 'the good life' and God doesn't hear our prayers. It's a subtle reminder to them and to us that God hears even when we don't think he hears and that the good life can't be measured and minimized by the things that we see and perceive. Bud
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