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1 Peter 3:8-12

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For

“Whoever desires to love life    and see good days,let him keep his tongue from evil    and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good;    let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,    and his ears are open to their prayer.But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 

It is amazing how foolish these words sound to the world. Sometimes I just want people to get what they gave me, or "get what they deserve" as if  I am some sort of impartial judge who knows what each crime should receive. And yet, this is not how Christ treated me. Here he calls me to become as he is and was... blessing and forgiving those who were trying to destroy him.

And we all want to know what God is calling us to. Here we have one clear answer: He is calling us to bless when we are cursed and to bless when we are reviled. No snappy retorts or witty comebacks. "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies." Do good to those who persecute you and do all sorts of evil against you. This means everyone from the friend who cheats at a card game even up to the heinous crime of cutting you off in traffic. This means do good to the person who is trying to get you fired at work and the person who could be the next suicide bomber and the person who gets you put in jail for your good works. All of these things are real; I'm not making them up.