Insults {A Sunday Devotional}

(I'm going to try to get back into doing these every Sunday.)

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How do you react when others are being unkind?

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

~ 1 Peter 3:8 ~

Have you ever had someone start a rumor about you? What about having a friend tell someone else about a secret that you confided in her? It's sometimes easy in those situations to react by doing the same thing. You know, starting a rumor take the attention off of you. Sometimes even when someone is teasing us about something it's easy to react by shifting the teasing onto someone else.

Today's verse tells us that that isn't what we should do. It says not to repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessings. This idea is repeated in Luke 6:28 where Jesus tells us to pray for those who mistreat us. It's not always easy, but it's what God wants from us.

The Bible tells us that we are to respond to people by being nice, even when they aren't nice to us. We can respond to rumors by stating that they aren't true, praying for those who started and spread them, and also by not holding a grudge against them. When our friends share our secrets, we can bless them by honoring their trust in is anyway. God wants us to display our inner beauty that comes from Christ in us even when others are not treating us the way they should. But by handling things God's way, our inner beauty shines out for the world to see.

Reflection:

In the heat of the moment, do you react to insults with insults, or with prayer and blessings?

Application step:

Today when people tease you or are unkind to you, respond in a kind way; by praying for them, and doing something nice for them.

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Have a happy Father's Day! :)