Becoming a Blessing

1 Peter 3:8-16

8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,

“Whoever would love life
    and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
    and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
    they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 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.”

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Becoming a Blessing

Friends... What does it take to become a blessing to others?

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic,
love one another, be compassionate and humble.
Don’t repay evil for evil.
Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you.
Instead, pay them back with a blessing.
That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven”- Jesus (Luke 6:37)

I found myself growing more uncomfortable as our professor talked about what it would take for us to truly “bless” others. Dr. David Scholer was one of those professors at Seminary who would constantly challenge us to put into practice what we read out of our Scripture studies. He continually articulated that head knowledge was only as good as the outcome in how we lived. I was growing frustrated because the questions he asked were too close to home about what it means to be a blessing to others. For instance…

… Is there someone who hurt you in the past that needs you to forgive them?
… Is there a family member who you struggle with loving because of something they did or did not do? Are you holding this over them? OR… are you looking for ways to heal that relationship?
… Has someone ever said something to you that caused you such pain in the moment that you wanted to hurt them back? OR… did you begin to look for ways to show them they value to God and yourself?
… Is your focus in life to offer the same kind of forgiveness, grace, and blessing that God gives you?

He asked us students to share about people in our lives who were an example to us of these traits. There was an awkward silence for a moment before a few students started to share their stories. The assignment he gave at the end of that class time was one I was not ready to do. He challenged us to allow God to show us where we were holding something over one person who had hurt us. The short paper that was due the next class period would be on how we either forgave that person OR how we would move towards forgiving them and becoming a blessing to that person.

When God showed me “who” that person was, I said, “No”, at that time. I wrote about another person who did a lesser offense and how I forgave them and restored our friendship. It would take a few more years for me to find the courage to release the person God brought to mind and the pain he caused into God’s hands. I am so thankful for God’s patience with me!

This Sunday we will gather to spend some time together drawing close to the God who blesses us so we CAN become a blessing to others!

Grateful to journey with you,
John