Payback With A Blessing (Daily Devotional)

Shalom and thank you for joining us this day as we look into God’s word and meditate on it. We have been focusing on being a blessing and today our focus is zeroed in on how do we payback with a blessing. Sometimes, it easier to bless someone who has been kind, nice and loving to us, but it becomes challenging when we are wronged or when we are insulted. The bible says that we are to payback with a blessing especially to those who have wronged us. 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 9, it says, ‘do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing.’ The natural response for us when we have been wronged is maybe to retaliate, to repay evil with evil, it may be even instinctive for us to defend ourselves and often we do that with probably harsh words, negative actions or even just maybe an avoidance. But 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 9 brings us to a highest standard. It urges us not to respond to the wrongs with more wrongs but rather with blessing. What does it mean to payback or repay with a blessing? It is just not about withholding a negative response but about actively doing good to those who have hurt us. It is a very radical way of thinking and it is a radical behavior. It requires us to look beyond our own hurt and anger and to see the other person the way God sees them and this happens only by the Spirit. So, we look at somebody else with someone in need grace just as you and I are. This verse as well has a promise to it. The command is that we are called not to return evil for evil or insult for insult but on the contrary a blessing and the promise comes close after it. It says, there will be a blessing, we will inherit/ obtain a blessing. So, how can we payback with a blessing? One of the ways is to pray for those who do evil against us. Start by lifting them up in prayer. Start by asking God to bless them not in a passive or an insincere way but for genuinely desiring a good thing for them. The second thing is to respond in kindness. When we are tempted to snap back, let’s pause and consider how we can respond in a way that we can reflect the love of God. It could be speaking gently, offering help instead of ignoring them or simply remaining silent when you feel the need to retaliate. Lastly, it is to trust the justice of God. Repaying with a blessing doesn’t mean that you ignore justice, it means trusting God to handle it. Let go of the need for personal revenge and allow God to take on. So, let’s look for opportunities to repay with a blessing, whatever it maybe, a difficult conversation or conflict, let’s remember that we are called to bless so that we will in turn inherit a blessing. Let’s pray together, Heavenly Father, we thank you for teaching us this important truth that whoever may hurt us or may do evil unto us, we are to respond with a blessing, we are to repay and payback with a blessing. Give us the courage and pour out your love by your Spirit in our hearts to be able to do that, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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