Email from Abiding Place Daily Bread – February 8, 2025 (The Seventh Day – Genesis 2:1-3) 1 Peter 3:10-12 – For he who would love life and see good days shall restrain his tongue from evil, even his lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it, because the Lord’s eyes are upon the righteous and His ears unto their petitions, but the Lord’s face is against evil-doers! Peter quoted this exhortation from Psalms 34:15-16, underscoring the relevance of this Old Testament Scripture in the New Testament. Peter leads into quoting this verse of Scripture by talking about one of the chief attributes of righteousness – love. The love of God compels us to bless no matter what the disposition of others may be towards us. As those who possess the righteousness of God, we are to bless so we might inherit a blessing. We are commanded to bless and to curse not. Our tongues are to speak no evil against another person. Just as the whole Law is summed up in love, the righteousness of God is also summed up in love – for God is love (1 John 4:7-8, 3:10-11). God’s eyes are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to hear their prayers. God not only hears us when we pray, He also will do whatever we ask because we obey His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22, 5:14; John 14:13-14; Psalms 34:17). Whenever we turn away from the evil that would tempt us, we will discover God is looking at us with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving that we were willing to choose His way of life. He loves us and wants us to have the good life full of blessings (1 Peter 3:10; Psalms 34:8-12). He gave us His gift of abundant and eternal life so we can enjoy the blessedness of His way of life – His righteousness! We are inundated on every side with things that are both wicked and opposed to God. Our society is gripped with the most vile offenses against God. The Christian community has become a community of unending compromises. If we are not careful, we will be carried away with these influences. We must allow God to define for us how we are to behave and be committed to that way of life. We will not have to rely upon our own failing and wavering human strength, for we will find the strength of the Lord and the power of His might. There are only two choices – we are either righteous and doing that which is good and pleasing to the Lord, or we are doing evil. If we are doing evil, then the Lord has set his face against us. If a person boasts of being an evil doer and still attempts to profess a relationship with God, such a one is deceived (1 John 1:6, 2:9, 3:10, 14-15). God has filled our hearts with that which is good (Matthew 12:35; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 3:3, 4:6; Galatians 4:6; and Hebrews 8:10, 10:16; Ezekiel 36:26). He has poured His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). All we need to do is hunger and thirst for the things of righteousness, and we will be filled to overflowing with every expression of God’s love Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 2/8/2025
