1 Peter 3:11 They must turn from evil and do good they must seek peace and pursue it.
Peter continues quoting from Psalm 34. The background topic is suffering for being faithful to Christ and living a holy life. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that when we are confronted with a difficult situation or are tempted to compromise, God will give us the ability to escape from that temptation. But we must respond by grabbing hold of God’s rescue line by turning away from evil. The choice and the responsibility are ours. Evil awaits those who want to fight back or respond to others with harsh words. Such a response may only add fuel to the fire and make the situation worse.
The answer is to seek peace with all people. Hebrews 12:14 links peace with holiness. Peter called his readers to holiness back in 1 Peter 1:15-16. We are empowered to do go and to live in peace when our hearts have been cleansed and purified from sin, when our hearts are filled with love, and our focus on following Jesus. This is a pursuit. It takes effort. It must be the devotion of our lives. It will not happen accidentally but only through God’s grace and our faithful obedience and response to this grace working in our lives through the Holy Spirit.
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