December 11 – 1 Peter 3:8-18

Seek Peace and Pursue It

Request: Lord, open my eyes as I read your word, my ears to hear, my mind to understand, and my heart to be filled with your love. Amen.

Read 1 Peter 3:8-18

Record your favorite verse and comment if you want to share.

Respond with a prayer to God

I found the phrase “seek peace and pursue it” in my daily reading a long time ago. Peter uses the scripture from Psalm 34 as he writes to exiled believers. At the time I read these words, they spoke to me in volumes because I wasn’t experiencing much peace in my life. It seemed I was always filled with fear and anxiety, dwelling and worrying about all sorts of things. If there was nothing to be worried about, I’d find something. Finding this verse, I realized then that peace is something that needs to be sought after and not something that just happens. I wanted to love life and see good days. With the help of my pastor, a Christian counselor and friends who loved me, I began to actively pursue peace. It was a difficult journey, which uncovered anger and bitterness that needed to be rooted out, and turned away from.

These verses in 1 Peter 3 show us how to love life and have good days, which is something I think we can all agree we want. First of all, we should strive for unity among our sisters and brothers in Christ. We are to be sympathetic, compassionate and remain humble. There should be a genuine love for one another, and we need to be careful of the words we speak, not ever being deceitful. The book of James has much to say about our speech and how deadly the tongue can be. We must turn away from evil practices and concentrate on doing the good things the Lord has for us to do. Just doing these things alone, will give us a measure of peace with our fellow man.

Peter asks, “Who will harm you if you are devoted to do what is good?” It makes no sense that someone would harm another for doing good, but it happens all the time. When one is called to suffer for doing what is good and right, we should not be afraid or intimidated, but remember to keep Christ as the center of our being, as we give a gentle answer for the hope we have.

The attitudes and actions described above are impossible for us to do on our own. It can only be achieved by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the measure we give Him control of our lives. As long as we live in this world, there will always be something that will threaten to rob us of peace. If we have made peace with God through the death of His Son on our behalf, we are considered righteous by Him. We have been cleansed of our sin and He hears us when we pray and He watches over us. In those times when peace seems to elude us, we call out to Him, the one who will help restore peace (Shalom) in our lives.

My verse: 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm.”

No one has suffered more than Jesus for doing good. The good He did, He did for everyone, once and for all. It is done! He took on the fury of God’s wrath against us, the depths of which we cannot comprehend. It makes no sense when we suffer for doing good. How much crazier is it that He was, and is rejected, despised and mocked for conquering death and offering to do the same for us?

My response: Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to exchange my unrighteousness for your righteousness. You deserve every single bit of praise and thanksgiving I can give. Help me at all times to keep you first and foremost at the center of my being, and use me to point others to you.