Text:1 Peter 3:8-12
Memory Verse: “Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9).
On his first day in office as President, when Abraham Lincoln entered to give his inaugural address, one man stood up. He was a rich aristocrat. He said, “Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my family.” The whole Senate laughed; they thought they had made a fool of Lincoln. Lincoln looked the man directly in the eye and said, “Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes for your family, and there will be many others here. Because he made shoes the way nobody else can, he was a creator.” Lincoln said further, “his shoes were not just shoes; he poured his whole soul into them. I want to ask you, have you any complaints? Because I know how to
make shoes myself. If you have any complaints, I can make you another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius; a great creator and I am proud of my father.”
Lincoln did not retaliate the man’s insult with insult rather he demonstrated love. This is what Apostle Peter encourages us to do as believers, as he admonished the brethren in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia;
“…Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it” (1 Peter 3:9NLT). This is called the highway of love.
Prayer Points:
1. Father, thank You for the highway of love that You have made available for us.
2. Help me, Holy Spirit, to always walk on this highway and not retaliate insults with insults.
