Sage Advice?

1 Peter 3: 8

To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit.

Are you ever surprised by some of the verses in the Bible? Take today’s verse for example. I don’t really picture Peter instructing us in this way. This is the guy that actually walked on the water afterall. Shouldn’t he be teaching us about faith? Instead, he teaches us to be sympathetic. Really? That surprises me. Then he wrote that we should be humble in spirit. What does that mean? He, of all the disciples, was full of bravado and fervor. I mean, which of us would jump out of the boat just because we saw Jesus?

I am almost flabbergasted that this zealous disciple would write such a “soft” directive to us. Do you think, perhaps, that the fanatical Peter got a revelation as he matured in the things of Christ? He had his choice of what to write and yet he did not write instructions on how to walk on water, or did he? Could it be that he learned that the harmonious life of compassion and humility in spirit is the spring board to the supernatural? In a way that makes perfect sense to me because for many of us to live harmoniously, sympathetically, brotherly, kindheartedly and humble is anything but “natural”. Just living that way would be SUPERnatural. And maybe, just maybe, that lifestyle is the pathway to walking on water.

Meditate on this verse this week and note what comes up in your spirit as you do. Peter has sage advice for us, advice which will undoubtedly set us apart. Could it also contain the secret to victorious living in Christ? I will let you decide.