“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit…” 1 Peter 3:8
We are bombarded every day with negative news. There seems to be more violence and evil acts than ever before. It may seem like this is a new phenomenon, but this kind of behavior has existed ever since the fall. Cain killed his brother Able and it has been downhill ever since. But we are of a faith that calls not for violence, revenge and hate but one which calls for peace, forgiveness and love. That is a unique message among the people of today.
The New Testament and most notably the epistles of Paul were written for us today. In most of the Old Testament there were two kinds of people- the people of Israel and the gentiles (everyone else). In the Old Testament there were also countless stories about fighting among the people. There seems to be a painful story of violence scattered throughout every book. But though violence in the world has not ended, the message of the Bible for us today has become clear.
Although there are still only two kinds of people in the world, those of the body of Christ and those who are not of the body of Christ, the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ has brought a new message of love into the world.
In today’s verse Peter calls us to get along with others, to be kind toward others, to be compassionate toward others. At the beginning of the verse he uses the phrase “to sum up” and this is a fair portrayal not only of his previous words, but the words of the whole New Testament. Throughout the New Testament we are instructed to care about one another. Whether the speaker is Jesus, Luke, James, Peter, or Paul, or one of the many others, the exhortation is one of love. I am convinced that if we who know Christ lived as the Word instructs, the need for missionaries would be eliminated. Everyone who came in contact with a Christian would want to know more about Christ, and anyone who knew Him would be able to share Him. Our love would be like a wildfire on a dry hill, spreading with every gust of wind that hits it.
I have wept in the night for the shortness of sight,
That to somebody’s need I was blind;
But I never have yet felt a twinge of regret,
For being a little too kind.
Today we will have countless opportunities to show the world who Christ is. It may be in small ways or big ways, it doesn’t matter. We may be the closest some people get to Jesus today. Our small kindness might be the last step in series of happenings in their journey to know Christ. The world is full of evil, but Christ calls us to be good, and the good that we can do should contrast so vividly with the world that people cannot but ask who this Jesus is we follow. Remember, we do not do kind deeds for just kind deed’s sake. We do kind things because it will give us the opportunity to share Jesus. Our kindness, though called for in the Word, will not, on its own, introduce others to Jesus. Our kindness should just be a vehicle that allows us to share where we receive our power to good.
So do good today. In this pretty dark world, it can sure use some light, and as we know, Jesus is the Light of the World.