The Father’s Tender Care: Cultivate Good

“Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm.

   Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

   Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here’s what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful; Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth. God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he’s asked; But he turns his back on those who do evil things.”

1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭8-12‬ MSG

We all want to be blessed, don’t we? We wake up asking God for His blessings on this day, for our nourishment, for our children, over our home and for our country.

But did you know that we are to be a blessing to those around us?  Our JOB is to bless others…and through that selflessness…we receive His blessing.

However, we tend to get God’s equation backwards! Our focus isn’t on GETTING blessings…but BEING a blessing to those God puts in our path. He takes us from selfish thinking to selfless acting. And then sweetly rewards us with His unexpected blessings from above…even when we don’t ask!!!

See, He’s concerned about our inside…our real selves…our heart motivation. He sweetly reminds us that it is “out of the overflow of our heart, that our mouth speaks.” Because only then will we “be agreeable, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble…embracing life and seeing that the day fill up with good.”

THAT’S how to live a blessed life. Doing the next right thing. No sarcasm. No retaliation. No evil or hurtful words. Focused on His character in you so when life bumps into you (and it will), what spills out of you is what’s already inside you.

That’s why the Apostle Peter tells us we have to “snub evil and cultivate good!”

“Snub” means to completely ignore. To treat with disdain or contempt! On the other hand, “cultivate” means to prepare and work on; to develop, improve and train yourself.

These two words go hand-in-hand! As you snub evil…you cultivate good. As you cultivate more and more good…you snub evil. Completely ignoring it as you are fixed on working and improving in God’s way.

Now YOU are the blessing. Not only to others around you…but to Almighty God! He “looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what He’s asked!”

You are blessed to be a blessing. As you are blessing others with His countenance…you are receiving blessing after blessing. It doesn’t happen any other way. It’s who God is. It’s how He’s wired. And how He works.