Whoever would love life and see good days
1 Peter 3:10 — Learning to keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech can be extremely difficult, but pays eternal dividends when accomplished.
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“For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.’”
1 Peter 3:10 NIV
Today’s verse from the first epistle of Peter is a quote of Old Testament scripture, Psalm 34:12-13 to be precise. Earlier in this chapter, Peter has advised wives to “submit yourselves to your own husbands” (a verse that has been misinterpreted horribly by the women of the 20th and 21st centuries) and husbands to “in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives”, and then implores all Christians to be kind and love one all people:
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
1 Peter 3:8-9 NIV
Our verse for the day is an explanation taken from Scripture of why husbands and wives should cherish and respect one another, and why we should show the love of Christ to all.
We should all desire to “love life and see good days,” because this means that we choose to live a life that is both fulfilling and blessed by God. Throughout the Bible, we are reminded that if we live in accordance with God’s will, we will have “good days” filled with peace and prosperity. Jesus taught us in John 10:10 that “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Loving life doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll live to a ripe old age, but that we will experience the fullness of life that Jesus promises and that God intends for His people.
How do we get to “love life and see good days?” For a start, we should control our own speech. This is another theme that is found repeatedly in Scripture, teaching that words have the power to both build up or tear down. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit”, and James writes about the potential for the tongue to cause great destruction:
“Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”
James 3:5-10 NIV
Peter was writing his epistle in the time of the early Christian church where persecution was rampant and slander was common. Keeping speech pure and non-destructive was imperative for preserving the integrity of the community and making for compelling witness, so he asks the believers to refrain from gossip, slander, and other verbal abuse.
The apostle also issues a request for the readers of the epistle to keep “their lips from deceitful speech”. This covers a multitude of sins: lying, manipulating others with words and any type of dishonesty. Truth is found among the words used to describe the character of both the Father and the Son. Consider John 14:6, where Jesus identifies Himself as “the way, the truth, and the life”. In those few words, Jesus sets the standards for how His followers should behave! Avoiding deceitful speech is a way of emulating Christ, who “… committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22).
Let’s finish this look at 1 Peter 3:10 with this insightful commentary from Charles H. Spurgeon (from Precept Austin):
Not only no lies, but no guile, no deceit, no shuffling. Say to a man’s face all that you say behind his back. You will soon be in trouble if you have two tales to tell, one in his presence, and the other in his absence; but if you are free from “policy” — from “knowing how to play your cards,” as the world says, then shall it be seen that you have one of the attributes of a true Christian. If you refrain your lips, that they speak no guile, people will know where to find you, and they will want to find you, for such men are always in demand.
Learning to keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech can be extremely difficult, but pays eternal dividends when accomplished.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, sometimes I find it difficult to keep my tongue from speaking evil things. Thank You that accomplishing this hard task will be rewarded by You with blessings I may not see immediately, but will be well worth the effort when I receive them. Direct my words and actions to be an encouragement to others, to Your praise and glory. AMEN.