Word@Work 1Pet41 - 1 Peter
Published: Mon, 06/22/09
Word@Work from BeaconLight
LIFE SECRETS
1 Peter 3:10-12 For, 'Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.' (NIV)
The 'pride of life' is one of the three main areas of temptation (along with the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes - cf 1 John 2:16). In order to feel good about life, Satan lures us to raise our own profile by speaking badly of others; and to deceive others by saying either less than the truth or more than the truth. Peter reminds us here that this quote from Psalm 34:12-16 is still speaking as God's Word - those who want to enjoy life must be utterly truthful. Otherwise our own words will trap us, and the good we seek will escape from our grasp; also, our prayers will not be answered.
The person who follows Jesus needs to learn a daily repentance. We should constantly turn from the evil around us, which seduces us and pleases the devil; so that we can practice what is good, and please God. Speaking the truth is a key indicator of godliness, because Jesus is the Truth. But the habits of our fallen world often appeal to our old nature and seek to invade our own hearts. When that happens, we are no longer shocked by hearing ourselves exaggerate or failing to tell the whole truth. But it greatly saddens God who will not respond to our prayers as He would like (cf Is 59:1-2).
In business, lies can become a convenience, luring the client with a promise that the product can never deliver. Bosses might tell employees less than the truth in order to keep them 'on-side' in a time of change. Verbal deceit happens everywhere; at home, at work, in the church ... but it should not happen at all. The Lord is watching out to see the man and woman who carries love to do what is right, and to answer their prayers, and to enable them to enjoy the life He has given them. So perhaps a review of your mouth-style is overdue.
Prayer: Father God. Thank You for being so direct in Your Word. I have known that You prefer truth to lies, but I had not realised how essential it is to always speak the truth, and how harmful to myself when I do not. Please forgive me for the times I have lied in order to make myself look big: and please keep reminding me to be truthful in every conversation, text and email - at work, in the church and at home. For Your glory's sake. Amen.
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
The 'pride of life' is one of the three main areas of temptation (along with the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes - cf 1 John 2:16). In order to feel good about life, Satan lures us to raise our own profile by speaking badly of others; and to deceive others by saying either less than the truth or more than the truth. Peter reminds us here that this quote from Psalm 34:12-16 is still speaking as God's Word - those who want to enjoy life must be utterly truthful. Otherwise our own words will trap us, and the good we seek will escape from our grasp; also, our prayers will not be answered.
The person who follows Jesus needs to learn a daily repentance. We should constantly turn from the evil around us, which seduces us and pleases the devil; so that we can practice what is good, and please God. Speaking the truth is a key indicator of godliness, because Jesus is the Truth. But the habits of our fallen world often appeal to our old nature and seek to invade our own hearts. When that happens, we are no longer shocked by hearing ourselves exaggerate or failing to tell the whole truth. But it greatly saddens God who will not respond to our prayers as He would like (cf Is 59:1-2).
In business, lies can become a convenience, luring the client with a promise that the product can never deliver. Bosses might tell employees less than the truth in order to keep them 'on-side' in a time of change. Verbal deceit happens everywhere; at home, at work, in the church ... but it should not happen at all. The Lord is watching out to see the man and woman who carries love to do what is right, and to answer their prayers, and to enable them to enjoy the life He has given them. So perhaps a review of your mouth-style is overdue.
Prayer: Father God. Thank You for being so direct in Your Word. I have known that You prefer truth to lies, but I had not realised how essential it is to always speak the truth, and how harmful to myself when I do not. Please forgive me for the times I have lied in order to make myself look big: and please keep reminding me to be truthful in every conversation, text and email - at work, in the church and at home. For Your glory's sake. Amen.
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