Your calling is to Bless

 

1 Peter 3:9-12

A well-guarded truth and one that seems to be almost hidden as the church goes out into the neighborhoods, places of work, and the community as a whole, is this; the church is called to bless.  And you and I will be quick to agree that is what the church should do, but as we agree we also bring judgment on each of us who claim the name of Christ, because we are the church, it was never a building, it is the body of Christ, it is Christ living in and through us.  The ninth verse speaks very clearly to that point, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”

Few Christians set out to repay evil for evil, but it happens, and it may come as a surprise, but it happens often; in the home, in the church, at work, and with those you come in contact with, those God calls your neighbors.  Let’s get personal, yesterday my wife baked cookies, several dozen to take to New Life for a VBS day.  One of the paid staff could not believe that Jan had been so inconsiderate that she had not brought other goodies for the couple of girls who did not eat wheat.  As she was sharing this with me, I forgot all about Proverbs 13:3, and that is a verse that I have been asking God to build into my life.  If you’re not familiar with that verse it says; “He who guards his lips guards his soul, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.”  It is not necessary to say I spoke rashly, and I let Jan know what I thought of that person, and Jan reminded me that the paid worker may not be a Christian, that is not a requirement to work at the prison, Oops, they do not refer to it as a prison, but the girls do live inside of a very tall fence and they cannot leave, it’s a lock-up.  Off message, just a little background, but the fact is I was quick to repay evil for evil in my mind, and was so thankful that Jan did not act as I would.

If you keep reading this comes next; “For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep 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 prayer.  But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1Peter 3:10-12)  I would bet the farm that you, like me desire to love life and see good days, and yet we Christians have a problem, it’s a heart problem, it’s a flesh problem, we are not that much different than our neighbors who make no claims of Christ.  But we should be and it is totally doable if we abide in the vine.  Choose today to be a blessing and seek first the kingdom of God, you have been called to bless.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice