1 Peter 3:13
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?
I actually laughed when I read this verse this morning......let me make a list, yes? We do good....we focus on doing good, treating others with kindness, letting someone else have that perfect parking place, let our spouse pick the movie, go visit our relatives, pick up trash, take food to the hungry and clothes to the homeless and...... We have people pull in front of us, steal our parking spots, take advantage of us, treat us in unkind ways, talk bad about us behind our backs, lie to us....to we get to the point that we get frustrated because it seems the nicer we are the more beat up we get.....
But you will! We are called to love....to serve....to be Christ's hands and feet here on this earth. So the acts of kindness that we do are done so that Christ might be known to those we serve....that someday, one of those people will we have served will say...Why? Or tell me about your God. We shouldn't do it to get goodness in return....or our motives are not as they should be.
In fact, we should expect the opposite. Satan will try everything to diminish work performed only in the name of Christ..... Everything......Lies..... "Wait, you are working day and night to serve others and what do you get in return? Look how they didn't even recognize you at church for organizing the banquet! Without you, none of this would even be possible! He doesn't deserve you!.." .. And his lies, starting subtle at first, begin to weave in bits of pride that will destroy.
As a child, we were told that if we would be nice to someone else then they would be nice to us back..... Not true. Not then, not now. Be nice.......but be nice expecting nothing in return. Expecting nothing but knowing that you have acted in obedience to our Father.....and that is worth all the praise in the world.
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?
I actually laughed when I read this verse this morning......let me make a list, yes? We do good....we focus on doing good, treating others with kindness, letting someone else have that perfect parking place, let our spouse pick the movie, go visit our relatives, pick up trash, take food to the hungry and clothes to the homeless and...... We have people pull in front of us, steal our parking spots, take advantage of us, treat us in unkind ways, talk bad about us behind our backs, lie to us....to we get to the point that we get frustrated because it seems the nicer we are the more beat up we get.....
But you will! We are called to love....to serve....to be Christ's hands and feet here on this earth. So the acts of kindness that we do are done so that Christ might be known to those we serve....that someday, one of those people will we have served will say...Why? Or tell me about your God. We shouldn't do it to get goodness in return....or our motives are not as they should be.
In fact, we should expect the opposite. Satan will try everything to diminish work performed only in the name of Christ..... Everything......Lies..... "Wait, you are working day and night to serve others and what do you get in return? Look how they didn't even recognize you at church for organizing the banquet! Without you, none of this would even be possible! He doesn't deserve you!.." .. And his lies, starting subtle at first, begin to weave in bits of pride that will destroy.
As a child, we were told that if we would be nice to someone else then they would be nice to us back..... Not true. Not then, not now. Be nice.......but be nice expecting nothing in return. Expecting nothing but knowing that you have acted in obedience to our Father.....and that is worth all the praise in the world.
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