Loving Life and Seeing Good Days

“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:  Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.  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.”  I Peter 3:10-12

I believe that everyone desires to see good days, and by good days, I mean days when there are no major problems with which to deal, no unexpected events which upset the schedule, and no aches and pains to hinder one’s activities.  For most of us, even as we try to live according to God’s word, good days are usually few and far between.  However, that is not to say that there cannot be more good days ahead.  The Apostle Peter gives us some good measures to follow if we want to love life and not dread it and see the fruit of our endeavors because we are living for Christ.

The first thing is for believers to be of one mind, that is, the same thoughts and actions about the basic tenets of the faith.  There are certain behaviors from which Christians should abstain.  If a certain behavior is not permissible for one Christian, it is not permissible for any.  There are some actions that are permissible, but not preferable for some.  It is good to be firm in your beliefs but not so much as to do harm to your Christian witness.  Stand for truth but do it in an appropriate manner.  Have compassion for one another.  Think about how you would feel in his or her situation.  Love each other as brothers and sisters for you are part of God’s family.  Have sincere sympathy for those who are going through tough times and help them in any way that you are able.  Paul wrote in Galatians 6:2, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”.  Be courteous with one another.  Sometimes we treat strangers better than our own family.

Peter also tells us to not return evil for evil, that is, don’t get revenge for something that someone did to you.  Getting back at someone should never be something that a Christian does.  Jesus told us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).  We can’t do that on our own, but we can if we depend on Jesus to love them through us.  Don’t gossip about others or make snide remarks about them.  If someone gossips to you, chances are he or she will gossip about you.  When someone says, “I don’t know if this is true or not, but…”, stop them right there and refuse to be a part of the gossip train.  Instead of criticizing others, bless them instead.  Ask God to give them favor.  Who knows?  Perhaps whatever it is that they are doing that irritates others, God will convict them and let them find a healthier way to express their views.  When we bless others, whether we think they deserve it or not, we open up the way for God to bless us.

I suppose one of the most difficult things to control is our tongue.  Peter was well aware of that fact, and James had plenty to say about an unruly tongue.  One who doesn’t control the words that come out of his or her mouth is one who is lacking in Christian maturity.  James said that if we can manage to never offend anyone with our words, then we would be perfect (James 3:2).  Sometimes we say things that come out the wrong way.  The words sounded worse than what we meant to say.  Politicians have a bad habit of making a statement, and then when they are called out on it, they say that they “misspoke”.  Most of the time, though, they meant exactly what they said, but they try to wiggle out of a controversy by saying they misspoke.  What comes out of a person’s mouth originates in his or her heart.  Just think of all the hurts and divisions that could be avoided if we could either respond in peace or just keep our opinions to ourselves.

Finally, Peter advises to stay away from every form of evil, and spend your time in doing good, and seeking and promoting peace.  Run after peace as if it was the most valuable thing on earth.  Grab it and don’t let go.  Jesus said that peacemakers would be blessed and be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9).  When we follow these methods of pursuing righteousness, God takes notice.  We don’t do these things to get noticed or to earn God’s favor, but we follow His plan of living circumspectly because it is how God expects His children to behave.  Peter says that God will reward our efforts.  He also warns the evildoers that God notices them as well and will call them out as He sees fit.  God’s goodness and righteousness will not allow evil to go unpunished.