Rachel Workman: 8
Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love
each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble
attitude. 9 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 bless you for it. I guess the question I need to ask
myself is do I fit this bill? If I am to be honest, no not all of the time I do
not. I am usually good at sympathizing. Am I as good at loving each other as
brothers and sisters? I'm getting better but I miss the mark a lot. I am
tenderhearted but entirely too prideful. I don't retaliate but I don't bless
either.
10 For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
against those who do evil.” I like how it says search for peace and work to maintain it. We are to stay centered so to speak. I think this would start with my thought process. When I see those thoughts taking an unhealthy path stop them right there. Work to maintain my peace. Verse 12 is an excellent verse to remember. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. I love this. That doesn't mean we won't have trials on this earth as promised. If God is watching me how can anything evil ever defeat me?
10 For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
against those who do evil.” I like how it says search for peace and work to maintain it. We are to stay centered so to speak. I think this would start with my thought process. When I see those thoughts taking an unhealthy path stop them right there. Work to maintain my peace. Verse 12 is an excellent verse to remember. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. I love this. That doesn't mean we won't have trials on this earth as promised. If God is watching me how can anything evil ever defeat me?
______________________________
Pat Bell: 8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with
each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.[a] Be tenderhearted, and
keep a humble attitude. 9 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 bless you for it.
These
commands are close to my heart, but I fail much too often to adhere to them! I
love the world God wants us to live in. I need to work harder at creating it
for him.
10 For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
“If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
______________________________
- we are given a lot in
these few verses. Are you patterning your life after this?
10 For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
“If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
- pretty much a recap
of verses 8-9. I always say that if something is repeated in scripture,
we need to sit up and take notice. The way we act and react to those
around us is so important to our Christian walk. We are living examples
for the Lord. Let's make sure we are living up to His standards and not
the world's standards.
______________________________
Kari Hellums: That
golden rule that we were all taught is ever so golden. I was just telling my
students this already this morning, if you don't have anything nice to say,
don't say anything at all. What I think really helps with this scripture is to
pray for your enemies, pray for your friends, pray for everyone you come in
contact with. I find that when I am praying for someone, it is hard to have ill
thoughts towards them. I am thankful for a God who is full of grace and love
and forgiveness. Being like Him should be our daily goal. So consecrated with
who He is that there is not a single ounce of room for anything else. I have
seen many a blessing come from obedience, we are experiencing it now as we are
beginning this new journey God has put us on, the blessings are overflowing and
I know it is because of obedience. God wants us to do good, he wants us to get
good things in life, but as a child of His we are to respect and honor Him
which is in our actions, words, etc to others... and then the blessings flow
like rain. Who does God want you to pray for today? Who does God want you to
bless? (Question I ask myself over and over).
______________________________
Mike Grimm: 8 Finally, all of you
should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers
and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Members of a
family sometimes argue and fight. This can happen even in a Christian family.
God does not want this. People argue because they are selfish and proud.
Sometimes they do not love each other. Christians must learn to agree and not
to argue. Humble people care more about other people than they care about
themselves. They are kind and do not fight. 9 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 bless
you for it. It is quite easy to behave well when people are kind.
When people behave badly towards another person, that person’s natural reaction
is to be bad in return. This is not what Jesus did (see chapter 2:23). Whatever
other people say, a Christian should always reply with good words. God only
blesses people when they do what is right.
10 For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
“If you want to enjoy life
and see many happy days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord turns his face
against those who do evil.”
To ‘enjoy life and see many happy days’ does not mean
that Christians can live without troubles in their lives. It means that God
will care for them, if they live the right way. They should be careful what
they say. Sometimes Christians say evil things and tell lies. This causes
trouble. Instead, they must do and say things that encourage peace. Then God
will listen to their prayers and help them. If they live the wrong way, then
God will oppose them. Their lives will not be happy.
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