Inherit a blessing
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
1 Peter 3:8-9
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 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.
The Importance of the nature and quality of the relationships between leaders and among the members of the church was not only of concern to the Apostle Paul but also to Peter and all the others as well.
The quality of the relationships we have testify to the transformation that the Spirit of Christ brings to our lives, provides a basis for our effective working together to achieve the ministry goals that we have and also, as the Apostle Peter says here, it allows us to inherit a blessing.
Many of us are after blessing, but many of us want the blessing on our own terms. It has even become popular to say that we are not going to let others get in the way of us receiving our blessing. But if we follow Peter we would realise that others ARE in the way of our blessing.
Our blessing is tied up, in part, in the relationships we have in the church.
The Apostle Peter starts here with a call of “one mind” this call speaks to a unity of purpose generally as the people of God but also speaks to a unity of the unit of the Kingdom where you are working. This letter from Apostle Peter was a specific letter to a particular body of believes but is also a general letter to the church throughout generations. So, we must apply its lessons both in the general and the specific.
The whole Church must be of one mind as the body of Christ on the earth today, but in the church where we serve with others we too must be of one mind. A unity of vision, a unity of purpose, a unity of effort are all essential for us inheriting the blessing.
This unity, real unity, is demonstrated not just in effort but in our relationships as we work together. There must be evident, compassion, love, tenderheartedness and courtesy. We could go on at length about each of these. Too often we go off to places outside of the body of believers with who we fellowship and work to look for those who would treat us with compassion and courtesy, or to find a place where we feel truly loved.
The kicker here is that it is recognized that sometimes, someone in the church will do us wrong, however the appropriate response, if this occurs, is to return blessing. For as we bless, regardless of the circumstances, we will inherit a blessing. This we were called to do.
Think of these things:
- Is there a sense that we are of one mind on the church team where you are working now?
- What are the primary relationship characteristics of the team with whom you are working?
- How have you responded to those on your team who may have offended you?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would develop the grace to respond to wrong with blessing.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex