Repaying evil

1 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 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.


I read this verse and I totally wanted to write a devo reflection on it. My reason being is this. It’s very easy to read it and be all “That’s fine. That’s easy. I can do that.” then you close your bible and forget about that verse.

Can we actually be like-minded? All agreeing and not disagreeing on things. No conflicts?
Can we be sympathetic? What about sympathizing with someone that struggles with something? Or is still mourning the loss over someone after so many months/years, but we get annoyed and just want them to snap out of it?
Can we still love one another when they’ve betrayed you and you’re having a hard time forgiving them? How about that person that totally and utterly annoys you or offends you so much you want to just disregard this person exists?
How about being compassionate? Can we show compassion to that person who steps in to church that people naturally want to avoid, because maybe they smell, they’re on the edge of society, they’re not really sane, they’re homeless?
Or how can we be humble? As in not brag about how much we do at work, what latest gadget we have, how many figures we earn, etc etc.?

I’ll be honest here, it’s so difficult to not repay evil with evil. Because you automatically think evil will only accept evil ways. How else would it get to them? Like when someone punched your brother, and what do you want? justice--so then you go off in vengeance hunting down that someone.
Insults are thrown at you so you hurl insults back. The classic example is oh someone cursed to my face, let’s just answer back and curse back in response.
In a moment of frenzy it’s hard to control ones emotions. How can we stop that?

But it tells us we need to go the opposite way, to repay evil with blessings.

I find that hard.
And I know many do too.

Let’s be more reasonable here. It’s ok to forgive someone for saying something bad to you. But how can you forgive that crazy man who touched a boy in a terrible manner in the public toilets? How can you forgive someone that is on death row because he/she was a serial killer?
Or let’s be more closer to home, how can we not be offended when someone driving cuts you and causes you to nearly hit them on the road? Or they do something totally illegal and drives you nuts on the road?

I’ve tried to bless them when people cut me on the roads. It’s a hard task.
But a task one cannot do alone. I still struggle with giving compassion, being humble, loving one another, being like-minded and conflict-free, even sympathetic. All very difficult tasks to do.

And that’s why we need grace from God.
When we are blessed with grace, and when we truly learn the meaning of grace,
it becomes a natural habit of a believer. Our characters demonstrate that we have grace, and we give grace to those around.

And what exactly IS grace?
Well after some research, according to the bible it has said that:
- grace and mercy go hand in hand.
- grace and justification are linked. (I’ve always remembered justification as “just as if I’ve never sinned”)
- grace is opposite of wages (something to be earned); debt (through owing someone); reward (as a prize to be won); and boasting.
- grace also has no connection to works either.

I think I personally need to work on that.
But I know I can only do as what the verse says with God’s help and grace.
But one step at a time, I think.

How about you?

Adding to the number

Acts 2:46-47

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This evening I had my bible returned to me from a brother who was here for the weekend. I was in another city and left it at the church I went to. Thankfully being reunited with it, it’s amazing how much you miss something. Absence certainly does make the heart grow fonder! 

The verse above, was a verse I highlighted a very long time ago. I highlighted “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

It brings me [and many others!] great joy to learn of someone becoming a Christian. I can tell you the amount of times I get ecstatic and excited to hear that X amount of people became believers. A sense of pure joy to know that more people are being added to the number of believers in this Body here on earth.

It’s exciting simply because it reaffirms that:

- God is amazing in His miraculous power of saving people.

- God continues to work and romances people to falling in love with Him, on a daily basis.

- God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He has saved many and will continue to do so.

- God is a forgiving God, and through that we are saved.
- It’s not us saving the people, it’s God that’s doing it, by His amazing intervention (Him doing it another words!)

- God’s love is just indescribable. 

And well, I am encouraged by the above verse, because that was what it was like in the early church days of Acts. Jesus had gone back to Heaven, and the church had just started to establish. And Paul, Peter and others were spreading the good news, which went around like wildfire--people believing. It happened back then. And it happens today. 

To add, the whole breaking of bread, i.e. having communion together with the other believers to remember Jesus’s sacriface,
bread = body. wine = blood.

I can honestly say every time I have it, I love it. In the past 3 years being overseas, I struggled with it. Why? Because I didn’t have enough of it. So everytime we had communion I would be emotional, just thinking about the true meaning of it all. We didn’t have enough of it because the church there was careful not to scare people with communion--as people would be confused or not really know the true meaning or there would be misunderstandings, as a lot were new to learning about Christianity. So hence, it was once in a blue moon. And when we had it, wow. But I can also say that in the past 3 years, I might have taken part in this activity close to maybe 10 times or so.  

But it brings me pure joy, so much joy to be back in a place where the body of believers have it frequently enough [but not too often that it gets taken for granted for!]

I love remembering the meaning of communion. And I love that at that moment in time everyone is thinking the same thing. 

Yet the one thing I wish, would be that all believers would also be contemplative of Christ on a daily basis. Every time we have fellowship--to celebrate and come together with sincere hearts, gladness and praising God. And I know that God is adding to the number of believers, daily... though we may not know these folks personally... just to know that God is at work anyway. I hope this though will also promote us all to be glad and praising God.

It’s a win-win situation.

Glowing faces

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Unveiled faces? What's that all about? I had to read the verses before this verse to actually understand the context. Actually had to read a big bulk to get it.

In a nutshell, Paul writes about Moses and how he used to have to wear a veil after he spent time with God because of his glowing face.

But in this verse it says that no longer is it required that we have veils! We have unveiled faces! In earlier verses it says it's because Christ took it away! How cool is that?! No longer are we seperated from God or someone who has a glowing face (oh the glory!) but we too can also be transformed into His image!
And get this, His glory keeps increasing!

Which makes me think, if we think about His glory (i.e. how amazing and awesome He is)... we get transformed into His likeness... Does that mean we'll have glowing faces like Moses?? That'll be cool. Only we don't have to hide our faces, which is interesting too.
I imagine sparking some very interesting conversations with people around me.
Perhaps it would go something like this:

Glum faced chap: you look like you're glowing!
Glowing faced me: oh really?!
Glum faced chap: it can either be two things-- you're either pregnant or in love!

And that makes me think, yeah people do tend to glow when they are either pregnant or in love. Perhaps being contemplative of God's glory will make us glow like as if we're very much in love.
And perhaps as Christians we should take up this activity, so all Christians all have glowing faces so it's the norm and that you're also glowing because you're full of God's image. That would be cool.

Let's pass on this notion. I like it.

Whoever believes

John 14:12–14
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

I like that. I like that it says whoever believes... It's not if you're a pastor, a missionary, a super holy Christian... It's anyone that truly believes in Him. That's nice. It's a nice thought that God can work through absolutely anyone, as long as you believe.

And I like that God would help us do even greater things... With his help of course. All for His glory... Which is even more exciting! The thought that it glorifies God makes me feel excited because it's not any old thing, and it doesn't result in any old rubbish solution but rather a good and happy ending--not a tragedy! It's an encouraging thought.

But fundamentally, I love that anyone, whoever believes in Him will work through him. Not some super Christian that you always look up to... Yeah sometimes I used to think.. Oh man I'm not holy or knowledgable like that person and I used to think that was why God wouldn't answer my prayers. But I'm wrong.. Ha.

This is the first of (hopefully) many more devotional verses. Ramblings and my thoughts after reading a few verses or so.

I pray it will make you think too.