I Peter 3:8-12 Good days, good life

Oh boy! We're really getting into the Word today! I suppose the saying about "walk the walk and don't just talk the talk" is sort of cliche, isn't it?  Have we heard it too much? Do we (figuratively) yawn when we hear it again?
It's hard to find another concise way to say it! There's a lot of truth in those phrases....we said yesterday that the good life, if we want to call it that (and Peter did!) results from good relationships -- good relationship with God, and also good relationship with other humans here on earth. Christian or non-believer, it doesn't matter. For us to have healthy relationships and be at peace with others, we need to "do good" in our walk.

I guess many times that people use that walk and talk analogy, they are implying that all of us need some accountability. It's often very beneficial (and very eye-opening) to have a small group of believers that are accountability partners, and help each other as they strive to "live godly in Christ Jesus."
Refresh your memory of our verses (I Peter 3:8-12) and then we'll start for today.....

We can notice that Peter quotes from Psalm 34 right in the middle of his own letter. Let's look at part of his quote:

They must turn from evil and do good;    they must seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14)

Notice that there is something we must turn away from (doing evil) and there are some things that we must actively pursue (doing good and seeking peace). So, let's coin a new phrase...... doing good in our walk means turning from evil and pursuing peace.

Underlying verse eleven of our focus passage is the simple truth that we all have a natural bent toward evil. The word itself is used five times in this paragraph! It refers to our living for ourselves; we naturally want to live in disregard of God and of others, too. Unless, of course, they can serve us in some way.
Oy.
I'm sure that like me, you have known people that seemed to constantly be thinking of how different individuals could be coaxed, persuaded, or manipulated into doing things -- solely because of the benefit to the manipulator. Whether short term or long term, these scheming peeps seem to always be looking for "an angle."
It's just a natural human tendency to want to live for ourselves and get our own way. Paul calls it the "old nature." Adam and Eve's sin plunged the entire human race into a sinful path -- theirs was an act of self-will, of self-indulgence. They were seeking fulfillment in direct disobedience to the command of God. And ......  NEWS FLASH!! The new birth does not eradicate that bent toward selfishness, as any honest believer will admit!

Let's be honest here.....if we are driving along and we're listening to the local Christian radio station, and perhaps singing along, praising Him -- and some wise guy cuts in front of us so that we have to hit our brakes, swerve, or do some fancy driving to avoid him, how do we react?  Do we instinctively bless God for Him, and tell God we know that guy is loved by Him, and start to pray for him to be saved?
Hmmm. In a word, no.
Nope.
At least, I'm being honest. Are you, too?
Why not?
The answer for me (and maybe for you) is that same answer as for the three year old in the super market who wanted candy at the check out, and throws a tantrum when she hears the word "no." I didn't get my way....and I want to get my way! In fact, if I think back on the times when I have been angry, most of those times originate from the same issue: I wanted my way and I didn't get it.

Oy vey. (Pardon my Yiddish.) The thing that hinders healthy relationships that can bring glory to God, and make us participants in "the good life," is this: self. The root of most of our interpersonal problems is our selfishness. Our wanting our own way. Seriously....how many of us are reading this and still thinking, "Oh yes, if my mate (or friend, or whoever) wasn't so selfish...." It is us who must turn from selfishness. That evil, that self that takes no prisoners, is what marks us as fallen sinners. So we must make a conscious choice to deny self on a daily basis.

It's not enough, though, just to deny self. Or turn from evil. The Psalmist and Peter are telling us that we must actively do good and pursue peace with others. Remember that phrase that Paul used? "If possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men...." (Romans 12:18)
And look at this one, too:

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (Romans 14:19)

Try once in a while? Nope.
Give it a shot when we feel like it? Uh, no.... he says "make every effort."
In other words, focus on it. Don't be indifferent. Don't be passive. Really try!
In fact, Jesus talked about this:

 Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

We are to take the initiative. As important as worship is, Jesus said to stop in our tracks like a deer in headlights, then go and make things right! We're to do all we can to restore strained relationships.

Ohhhhh mannnnnn. It's time consuming. It's a hassle. Can't we just let it slide? I mean, it takes a lot of emotional energy, choosing the right words, and lots of my precious time....Won't time heal it? Besides, it is embarrassing, too.
Well, yes, it truly is humbling to have to admit to someone that we wronged them. So many times, we won't actively pursue peace.
But we should.
Now, on the other hand, we aren't supposed to confront a person everytime he or she offends us. We should absorb some of it if we can. But if I am the one who has offended, it is up to me to set aside the time, and invest the emotional energy, to seek peace.

Have Peter's words nudged our memories? Are we thinking of someone that we need to restore a relationship with?  We will feel much better if we say to the one we've wronged, "God has shown me how wrong I was to [name the act or the words said]. I want to live in a way that pleases Him, and I want to ask you to forgive me. Will you?
And if someone has wronged us, we need to be careful not to accuse them. Attacking them will only foster conflict. But if we seek to restore them in a spirit of gentleness, we may be able to restore the relationship and regain peace. After all, we are sinners, too!

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

So...... to do good in our walk, we must turn from evil such as selfishness, and actively pursue peace.

More from Peter's instructions tomorrow!