by Rev Douglas Brauner

Set free to bless our enemies.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

When you stand six feet three inches tall, and you’re surrounded by munchkins, you are a prime target. That is what my son found out at his son’s birthday party. Don’t get me wrong, he inflicted as much wetness as he received, but the party goers found it much more fun to soak him than to soak each other.

That’s what you get when you’re such a large target.

Do you feel like you are a large target because of your faith? Do you feel that the world is out to get you? How do you respond to people who make you the focus of their anger?

“Don’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you, or ridicule those who ridicule you. Instead, bless them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.”
1 Peter 3:9 God’s Word to the Nations

Peter understood what it meant to be hated for the name of Jesus Christ. He was beaten, thrown in jail, and suffered verbal abuse all for the name of Jesus. When he wrote his fellow believers to not repay evil for evil, he knew what it was like to be the recipient of evil. He knew what it meant to be ridiculed.

He also knew what it meant to bless. For Peter, blessing our enemies meant praising God that we are counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. Praising God changes our perspective. Our human enemies are not the true enemy. Satan is the enemy. He is the one who receives the curse of condemnation because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

He has already been judged by Christ.

We are also blessed through Christ. The evil and ridicule that comes our way, because we bear the name of Jesus, can not steal this blessing from us. In fact, like Peter, we rejoice that we have been counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ.

With this blessing we are set free to bless others, even those who curse and ridicule us.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado