1 Peter 3:8-12
God never intended believers to be lone rangers, operating by themselves through the course of life. His design from the garden of Eden was for His people to serve in partnership with one another. When we live in harmony with other believers and with the lost, we nurture our individual hope as well as the hope of brothers and sisters in Christ to whom we relate. As we give a blessing of hope in the way we relate to others, we will find that we inherit a blessing of hope as well.
Read 1 Peter 3:8-9:
- What are some ways that being in community with other believers can help us bear the cost of following Jesus?
- How can we develop unity with one another?
- What attitudes and activities make a church unified?
- When someone wrongs you, how do you most often respond?
- How have you, personally, been blessed by God after doing good to someone else?
Read 1 Peter 3:10-12:
- What does it mean to “love life”? Is there a right and a wrong way to do this?
- How does lying demonstrate that we do not love our life?
- Why is peace something we have to pursue and not something that just comes upon us?
- How does pursuing peace help us overcome evil with good?
Taking it home:
- How does your hope impact the way you live on a daily basis, regardless of how favorable your circumstances may seem?
Other Scriptures to Engage with this week:
Psalm 34 • James 1:19-27 • Psalm 15 • Hebrews 12:11-15 • Psalm 37 • Colossians 3:5-17.