Press For Peace
1 Peter 3:11
In the last few devotionals I’ve written, I looked at Scripture that addressed a common human failing - anger. Today’s verse comes from Peter, in his epistle to all early Christians. Peter was providing encouragement and advice to the Christians, who were spread out in many lands by this time.
“Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.”
1 Peter 3:11
This segment of the epistle deals with godliness in suffering, beginning with a reminder to be of “one mind” with other Christians. This has been a problem with followers of Christ since the earliest days and continues to this day, with different denominations and sects breaking off and disagreeing on interpretations big and small.
This verse is actually part of Psalm 34:14-16, in which God promises that the rewards of doing good are better and more secure than the rewards of doing evil. Paul knows that doing good can be difficult for most people, since evil is rewarded at once and the rewards of doing good can come much later.
The peace spoken of here is not only peace with man, but peace with God as well. There’s no magic button that can be pushed to achieve peace with ourselves, with others, and with God — it’s a grace from God that is the reward for turning away from evil.