1 Peter: For His Glory, by His GraceSample

You were created in and for relationships. Relationships are fundamental to who you are as an image bearer of the living God. Sometimes our relationships are rich with trust and depth, and sometimes they are chaotic and disruptive.

With the vision of God’s glory before us and with His grace to sustain us, Peter describes what is required of us in relationships. First, we should be Christ-like. Second, we should respond in love, goodness, and kindness—always, in every circumstance, even if we (like Christ) are unfairly accused or betrayed.

It’s not easy. Relationships are fluid and changing, and you never know how someone will respond to what you share or how you act. In that respect, the friendships, acquaintances, and commitments we form are never completely solid or secure—but we can be certain of how we should interact within those relationships.

1 Peter 3:8 says that our relationships should be filled with sympathy, love, and compassion. That kind of love requires sacrifice. Peter makes his point clear: sacrificial love will be required of our Christian walk, and we are not to return evil for evil. Instead, we are to bestow blessings on those who hurt us (1 Peter 3:9).

And Peter knows what he’s writing about. Peter was the disciple who denied Jesus three times in his hour of greatest need. And Jesus, in grace, restored Peter (see John 21:15–19).

Self-sacrificial love seems crazy in the normal patterns of the world, but we are not conformed to the patterns of the world. You are transformed, and your mind is renewed by the power of the Spirit of the living God.

Without God’s redemptive grace as your fuel, demonstrating Christ’s love in all relationships is impossible.

1. Do you believe your relationships reflect 1 Peter 8–9? Why or why not?
2. What has stopped you from responding with the love of Christ in the past?
3. How can you demonstrate love, kindness, joy, goodness, and forgiveness in your workplace, church, neighborhood, and family? In what situations do you feel called to change your heart and actions?