<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Untitled Document * Building, Maintaining, And Nurturing Good Relationships
* Peter’s Instructions To The Saints
* 1 Peter 3:8-17

* Introduction
* Every page of the epistles contains instructions to the saints of God.
* These are not suggestions as so many treat them, but commands by which God holds us each accountable.
* These commands not only demand our obedience, but they also inform us why we are to do them.
* God wants each of us to have good relationships.
* With God and with others.
* We cannot have a good relationship with God if we cannot get along with others.

* 1 Peter 3:8-17
* 8. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9. Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11. Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
13. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
14. But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16. Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
17. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.


* 8. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous ;
* Many passages instructing us to be of the same mind. Philippians 2:1-2; Romans 12:10,16; Ephesians 4:32, 1 Corinthians 1:10
* Romans 14:19: “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another”.
* Compassion for one another is linked in theses same thoughts.
* Humble in spirit.
* Kindness is courteous.

* 9. Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
* We may think payback is sweet, but God does not.
* God called us to be above all the pettiness that plagues mankind.
* If we can rise to the great standard God has called us to, there will be blessings for us.

* 10. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
* If we want blessings in this life, we have to make the effort to refrain our tongue from that which most people consider normal.
* All of our speech needs to be controlled.
* It needs to be only that which edifies others, and seasoned as it were with salt.

* 11. Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
* This means to turn away from evil even though we cannot escape it. No matter if the entire world does evil, our duty is to do good.
* An entire lesson can be had describing what God considers good.
* Ephesians 2:10: Christians are created in Christ Jesus for good works.
* Jesus went about doing good.
* We are to be like Him.
* Seeking peace, getting along with others should be our goal. (This does not mean compromise your principles to get along).

* 12. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
* God does look over His righteous ones to do good to them (Romans 8:28—them that love Him).
* He hears our prayers when we pray properly.
* Anyone who does evil in any way, God is against.

* 13. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
* If God be for us, who can be against us?
* What can man do to our soul?
* He may take our life, but our soul is protected by God.
* So as long as we try to do good to others, God has our back.

* 14. But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
* Acts 4: Peter and John were beaten for the name of Christ, and they were joyful.
* When you do good and suffer for it, you can just imagine the proud smile of our Heavenly Father.
* Do not worry.
* How many times are we given that instruction in scripture?

* 15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
* Sanctify: Set apart for a purpose.
* Meaning: Put God foremost in your life.
* By doing so, others may see your confidence in life and God, and may be moved to ask you about your faith, because they want that same kind of faith in their lives.
* Whenever we have an opportunity to tell people about God, we must do so carefully and with reverence and respect (for God, and the people we are talking to).

* 16. Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
* Sure you are going to receive accusations. Some of these may cause you to doubt yourself. But if you are fully convinced in your mind that you are right before God, you will have a clean, good conscience.
* Those who speak evil of you will be shown to be wrong and hopefully, they will be embarrassed.
* Conversation means “MANNER OF LIFE”.

* 17. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
* Things may not always work out for the best.
* But in the end, we had better be doing what God wants us to do, than be doing things He is not pleased with.

* Conclusion
* The chapter finishes out focusing upon Jesus, our perfect example explaining that our behavior should be what God wants us to be.
* All of these thoughts should impress upon us the need to build and maintain good relationships in every walk of life.
* Now, do you measure up to God’s standard?

By Carey Scott from an unknown source

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