1 Peter 3:8 ESV
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
Unity of Mind
This unity of mind being spoken of here is first and
foremost unity of mind with Jesus Christ, and then it is unity with others who
are also likeminded with Christ. This won’t include everyone who says he is a
believer in Jesus, for not everyone who says he believes in Jesus truly does,
and not all who believe in Jesus are genuinely of unity of mind with Christ.
Many who profess the name of Jesus are united in mind with
the world and with the worldly state church, but not with Christ, and not with
the body of Christ who are of the same mind as Christ. So, they may try to guilt-trip
you into uniting with them, but don’t be pressured into uniting with the mind
of the flesh. Remain of one mind with Christ.
For those with the mind of the flesh are drawn to what is of
the flesh, not to what is of the Spirit, for what is of the Spirit is foolishness
to them. So, they may unite themselves with others who call themselves
Christians, or with the state church, which is united with the world and big business,
but that doesn’t mean they are following this directive.
For to be united in mind with Christ is to submit to him as
Lord. It is to surrender our lives to him, to forsake our sinful lifestyles,
and it is to follow him in obedience to his commands (New Covenant). It is to
walk in his ways and in his truth and to not have divided loyalties that pull
us away from him.
It is to believe what Jesus and the Scriptures teach us, and
it is to do what the Scriptures teach the body of Christ, the Lord’s saints. It
is to feel what God feels, to have his passions and desires, and it is to have
the same goals and objectives as our Lord has for us, his people.
So, if we are truly united with Christ in mind, then we
should be united in mind with other believers who are unified with Christ. If
we are not, then something is amiss. So, first we should examine our own hearts
to make certain we are not the ones causing the disunity, and then we work
toward that unity by submitting to the Lord and by following him in his ways.
Brotherly Love
Brotherly love is the love that Christians are to have for
one another. It is the love of Christ, it is godlike love, it is moral, it is
good, and it does no harm to its neighbor. It, too, is honest, trustworthy,
unselfish, giving, and considerate of others.
This kind of love has the best interest of others in mind.
It wants God’s best for others. It will say and do what is pleasing to God, not
necessarily what is pleasing to humans, and it will say and do what is for the
welfare of other people, not necessarily what is going to make them feel good
about us.
This love is compassionate and tenderhearted towards others,
but it isn’t soft on sin nor does it coddle people in their sin. Instead it
exhorts and encourages fellow believers with the teachings of Scripture, and
with what is of God, and with songs or poems or words that give glory to God.
So, if we love our fellow Christians with this kind of love
we are not going to be hateful or nasty to them. We are not going to tempt them
to sin against God. We are not going to mock them for following the Lord in
obedience, either. But we will encourage them in their walks of faith and
obedience to the Lord with the hope that they will not fall into sin.
But this is also about caring about their physical needs,
too. If we know of a brother or sister who is in real need, then we need to pray
how we can help meet those needs. We need to be discerning of what are real
needs, though, for there are people who know how to manipulate people with
tender hearts.
There are people who call themselves Christians who make it
their practice to lie to others and to take advantage of them and to prey on
the naïve and the trusting who are compassionate and generous. So, I believe
one of the duties of deacons is to make certain that people truly are in need.
So, be discerning, pray, and then give as God leads you to give.
1 Peter 3:9 ESV
“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.”
We are all humans. Yes, we are saved by God’s grace, delivered
from our slavery to sin so we can walk in Christ’s righteousness, and we have
the Holy Spirit living within us, but we still live in flesh bodies. We are
still tempted to sin, and we still have the propensity to sin against God.
The Lord has delivered us from the power and control of
Satan and sin, but we must daily, by the Spirit, be putting sin to death. Daily
we must surrender our lives to Jesus and say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly
lusts, and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the power of God’s
Spirit.
But since we still live in flesh bodies, and the flesh is at
war with the Spirit, and the Spirit is at war with the flesh, when others
injure us, which they will, we must guard our hearts against responding in the
flesh, but we must pray, and we must yield to the Holy Spirit and respond in
the Spirit, instead.
Yes, the flesh may want to get even. Some people are more
wired that way than others, I have learned. So, if we are tempted that
direction, it would be good to take a self-examination, looking at where we
have come from and what all God forgave us for. It should put things in the
proper perspective.
If Jesus could forgive all our sins, and he is totally
sinless, how can we who are mere mortals refuse to forgive those who sin
against us? It is the Lord’s job to repay, not ours. It is our job to forgive,
to love, to show mercy, and to pray for and do good to our enemies, and to do
and to say what will be for the welfare of others, even including those who
have wronged us.
So, we need the Lord to keep teaching us how to love others
and how to forgive, for we are called to love others with His love. And we need
to be those who demonstrate the love of God to others, especially to our fellow
Christians, because of God’s love for us, and because it is the right thing to
do, and for the sake of our testimonies for Christ and for his gospel.
An
Original Work / September 26, 2011
When
in the stillness of this moment,
Speak
to me, Lord, I humbly pray.
Be
my desire, set me on fire,
Teach
me to love always.
Help
me to walk in fellowship with You,
Listening
to You; sit at Your feet.
Whisper
Your words to me,
Oh,
how gently, guiding me in Your truth.
While
we are waiting for Your blessing,
Lord,
in our hearts be King today.
Help
us to live for you ev’ry moment,
List’ning
to what You say.
May
we not stray from your word within us,
Help
us obey You, Lord, in all things,
Walking
each moment, Lord, in Your presence,
Our
offerings to You bring.
Help
us to love You, Lord, our master;
Be
an example of Your love,
Helping
the hurting, lift up the fallen,
Showing
them Your great love.
Teach
them to love You, follow You always,
Bearing
their cross and turning from sin;
Walking
in daily fellowship with You,
Making
You Lord and King.
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