I Peter 3-4 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is 1 Peter 3:1-4:19.

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and  a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (I Peter 3:8-9).

How many of my own conflicts could be resolved if I would simply follow this instruction? If I sought harmony rather than vindication, if I tried to grasp what the other was feeling rather than vent my feelings, if I viewed my brethren as friends rather than enemies, if I offered compassion rather than vengeance, if I humbled myself rather than lifting myself up, and if I honored others even when they put me down rather than speaking in kind, then I’m guessing most of the conflicts I have had would just go away. And then I would know peace.

Instead, I often push that responsibility off on others. They are the ones that need to straighten up. Before I seek harmony, strive for sympathy, bestow friendship, offer compassion, and humble myself, I explain my demands. Here is what you must do before I will strive for these things. Guess what happens. The conflict just gets worse.

Here is the sad part. I don’t want conflict. I want peace. I want joy. Why can’t we all just get along? The problem is not that I want conflict. The problem is I want peace on my terms. I want peace on the basis that I come out looking like a rose, never once having to admit any of my own faults or ever trying to understand what the other person has endured from me. So, I keep pressing on trying to get peace by forcing others to be subject to me. But what I’m learning is that just doesn’t work. Maybe I should try God’s way and maybe that would get me a little more peace. What do you think?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is Mark 5:1-6:56.

We speak and preach so much about self-sacrifice, that we often miss the need to take care of ourselves as well. We should be kind to ourselves and make sure we do the things that take care of us physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Sadly, as Stephen Covey taught, we often kill the goose in order to get to the golden eggs. We claim we are just sacrificing ourselves for others but then we work ourselves into the ground so that we can’t actually serve others anymore. Yes, there is a time for self-sacrifice in the service of others, but there is also a time to take care of ourselves in the service of others. 

I’m amazed at what Jesus did with the disciples as they struggled to cross the Galilee. Notice in Mark 6:47 that Jesus sent the apostles across the sea at evening time. Then He went up on to the mountain alone to pray. He needed some spiritual renewal time. He needed to connect with God on His own for a time. He was taking care of Himself spiritually. According to Mark 6:48, He saw the apostles making headway with difficulty. I don’t know if this is a reference to his omniscience or if it means He literally could see their boat from his vantage point on the mountain. What I do know is Jesus wasn’t oblivious to their plight. Yet, He didn’t simply drop what He was doing and go their aid. Instead, He let them struggle for hours. They left at evening time, that is around sunset (cf. Deuteronomy 16: 6; Deuteronom 23:11; Joshua 8:29). However, it wasn’t until the fourth watch, that is 3 am, that Jesus finally went to the apostles and helped them. 

Jesus needed some time to take care of himself spiritually and he left the apostles to toil on their own while He did that. There is a time to take care of ourselves. I think this applies spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically. The fact is, God didn’t create us to burn the candle at both ends. When your body needs rest, let it sleep. God did create us to eat. When your body needs food, eat. I know of some who are hypoglycemic that feel themselves pulled by others and think they need to sacrifice, they put off eating until they are in a terrible place physically and emotionally. Take care of yourselves physically. Sometimes we need alone time with God. Sometimes we need together time with other people. Sometimes we need to simply take a quiet walk through nature to meditate. Sometimes we need time to just curl up with a good book. Sometimes we need to pursue education. Sometimes we need to tell our friends that we simply can’t go a certain place or be involved in a certain activity because we know it will lead us to sin. There is no shame in taking care of ourselves. 

The world is not going to come completely apart because we take some time to take care of ourselves. In fact, sometimes our over zealous need to sacrifice ourselves stems from an overdeveloped sense of how important we are. We become convinced that we have to be at the center of everything or it will all fall apart. We have to be the ones to help, or it won’t be done properly. We have to be there or someone else may die or go to hell because of us. The fact is, while God uses us in ways we cannot even imagine, none of us is so important to the world that taking a few minutes or hours to take care of ourselves will cause the world, our families, or our congregations to fall apart.

Yes, we need to put others ahead of ourselves. Yes, we need to sacrifice for and serve others. But there is a very real sense in which we need to take care of ourselves. Jesus did it. We can. What do you need to do today to be kind to yourself and take care of yourself?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

I needed this reminder today. 

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6, ESV).

I don’t have much to say about this verse. I just needed to remind myself regarding the relationships to which I need to personally apply this verse.

• Marita (my wife)
• Tessa (my daughter)
• Ethan (my son)
• Ryan (my son)
• Trina (yes, I even have to apply this to my relationship with a 9-month-old)
• Brad and Christopher (my brothers)
• Linda (my step-mom)
• My friends (I won’t list them all by name)
• My elders
• My brethren
• My neighbors
• The check out clerk at Wal-Mart
• The snotty check out clerk at whatever store
• The guy who cut me off in traffic
• My enemies