1 Peter 3 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

1 Peter 3:9

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 

 

Praise report!!! A couple months ago, I was at the VOA in Dayton after my release from prison. I got in trouble for having too much money on me, which is a minor infraction, and most of the time, no one cares. On this day, the guy was in a super bad mood and was very disrespectful, all but accusing me of using dope and other things. Needless to say, it hurt my feelings and made me mad! I sat and pondered how to handle it and what I was going to tell his boss. 

 

I called my mom, and she talked some sense into me and told me to pray for him and let it go, so that’s what I did. It wasn’t easy at first, but the more I did it, the easier it was.

 

Fast forward a couple months, and this same guy is now my case manager, and my dad had knee surgery today and needs someone to pick him up from the hospital (which is up to the case manager’s discretion)! So, I call and guess what? He says yes just as quick as I can ask the question! Praise God!

 

See, I could have yelled, kicked, and screamed and probably got him in trouble during our first encounter, but decided to go the way of Jesus, and in the end, God blessed me for that!

 

We may not always see the blessing at the end, but if we handle our circumstances correctly, we can at least hold our heads up high and know we obeyed God’s Word! I tell you this to encourage you to see past the moment you are in and overcome injustice with prayer, forgiveness, and a whole lot of help from the Lord!!

 

I love you all, God bless, and give God the glory!!!

 

 

1 Peter 3:15

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 

 

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of doing a Facebook live with my mom again! We were going to do one topic, but about an hour beforehand, God led us down a different path, that path being testimonies about how God has provided for us in different circumstances. It was amazing to be able to give God the glory He deserves and also encourage others!!

 

Testimonies are one of my favorite things to do!! I feel like they are so crucial to our growth in our walk, and I encourage you to share one with someone today!! You might be like me and think it has to be some major situation, but the truth is that every time God moves in our lives, we should be sharing it with those around us!! You don’t have to be a pastor, an elder, or a deacon to share how much God has/is/and will do for you!! You just have to have an open, grateful, honest heart, and He will use it!!

 

The enemy will try to tell you it doesn’t matter what little thing God did for you and no one cares about it, but that isn’t the case. Your victory could be the encouragement that one person desperately needs!! The way I feel about it is that if God thought it was important enough to do for you, then it’s important enough to share it with those around you!!! If we don’t share Him with the world, then who will???

 

I love you all, God bless, and glory to God our provider!!!!!