A Life that Brings Blessings

Have you ever wondered what it means to live a life that brings blessings? What does it look like to be a blessing to others and to receive blessings from God?

In our passage today, the apostle Peter gives us some practical advice on how to live in harmony with one another, how to overcome evil with good, and how to enjoy the favor of God.

He writes to Christians who are facing persecution and suffering for their faith, and he encourages them to follow the example of Christ, who suffered for doing good and who blessed those who cursed him.

He also quotes from Psalm 34, a song of David, who experienced God’s deliverance from his enemies and praised him for his goodness.

Let’s read together 1 Peter 3:8-12 and see what we can learn from this inspired word of God.

1 Peter 3:8–12 NKJV

8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Be harmonious v. 8a

“all be of one mind” What does this mean?

Agree and cooperate with other believers in doctrine, purpose, and direction.

How do we accomplish this “like mindedness?”

1 Cor. 2:16 “16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

Having the mind of Christ means we understand God’s plan in the world—to bring glory to Himself, restore creation to its original splendor, and provide salvation for sinners.

It means we identify with Christ’s purpose “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).

It means we share Jesus’ perspective of humility

Philippians 2:5–8 “5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Which brings us to the second point.

Be sympathetic v. 8b

NKJV uses the words “having compassion for one another” the CSB version of the Bible renders the word “sympathy” which is perhaps the best translation of the Greek word which is where we get our word ‘sympathy’ from the Greek word “sympathes” the word means “Feeling with”

Feel and show empathy, compassion, and care for those who are hurting or in need. It has been said, “Sympathy is your pain in my heart.”

Be brotherly v. 8c

Peter has already said previously in this very letter 1 Peter 1:22 “22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,”

Love and befriend fellow believers as members of God’s family. This is the hallmark of the Christian fellowship.

Rom. 12:10 “10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;”

Be kindhearted v. 8d

“be tenderhearted” can be translated to compassionate

A couple things of interest to point out here evalving the Greek word used, I am not going to try to pronounce it but I will tell you its true idea and meaning.

The word means the inward parts of the body, such as the heart, liver, lungs, etc

In ancient Greek literature, this Greek word ment these organs were considered to be the source of the more violent passions, such as anger and love. However, in the Hebrew culture, they were associated with the tenderer affections, such as kindness, benevolence and compassion. Therefore, the word implies having a deep emotional connection with someone else’s suffering or joy.

Greek word used here for tenderhearted is only used twice in the NT here in 1 Peter 3:8 and Eph 4:32 “32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Be humble v. 8e

NKJV renders the Greek word to the English as “courteous” when in fact the word can be translated quit literal to “humble” or humble minded.

It means to be modest, selfless, and serve God and others.

To be humble means thinking of yourself less and think of the well being of others more often.

Romans 12:3 “3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”

Consider Christ: Phil. 2:4-11 “4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Matt 23:12 “12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Now Peter quotes from Ps 34:12-16

1 Peter 3:10-12 “10 For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.””

Refrain from evil:

Avoid speaking or doing anything that is contrary to God’s will or harmful to others.

Do good:

Speak and act in ways that are pleasing to God and beneficial to others.

Seek peace:

Pursue and maintain harmony and reconciliation with God and others.

Pursue peace:

Follow after and strive for peace with God and others.

In conclusion, we have seen that living a life that brings blessings involves being like-minded, sympathetic, loving, compassionate and humble with one another.

It also involves not repaying evil with evil or insult with insult, but on the contrary blessing those who harm us.

And it involves keeping our tongue from evil and our lips from deceitful speech, turning from evil and doing good, seeking peace and pursuing it. These are the qualities that God values and rewards, and these are the qualities that reflect his character and his grace.

As we do these things, we can be confident that the eyes of the Lord are on us and his ears are attentive to our prayers. And we can also be hopeful that he will protect us from those who do evil and that he will give us an inheritance of blessing in his eternal kingdom.

May God help us to live this way by his Spirit and for his glory. Amen.