1 Peter 3:8 – Verse of the Day 6/6/14

Do you have a best friend who shares your interests, desires, and points of view? Such friendships are rare, but when we experience them they can offer a lot of joy. While such friendships are rare, it is even more unusual for best friends to agree with us about everything. So while close friendships can be wonderful, at the same time most of our worst arguments happen when we disagree with somebody close to us. Usually the relationships that cause us the most pain or disappointment are the ones where our best friends or closest relatives do something to hurt us.

This verse concludes Peter’s discussion of the obligations of Christian relationships. He points to Jesus as the ultimate example of the ideal friend. True Christian love leads us to unity of mind, sympathy, love, tenderness and humility. A few verses later Peter tells us that these characteristics should lead us to submit to one another. What does that mean?

Jesus is actually Peter’s most striking example of submission, for he submitted to the will of the Father as well as the earthly authorities that put him to death. He submitted himself to death on the cross for our sake. Spend some time in prayer thanking God for this gift, and asking God to enable you to love your brothers in sisters in Christ by assuming the same spirit.