You Don’t Have to Get Even

Devotion based on 1 Peter 3:15

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. 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.”

We are all carrying a default document. You know - the inherited instinct to fight back, get even, or withdraw when someone hurts us. It is the nature we were born with, and no amount of personal resolve can override it on its own.

That's exactly Peter's point. He doesn't call us to try harder. He calls us to remember what God has already done. Christ suffered once for sins - the righteous for the unrighteous - to bring us to God. He was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now reigns over every power that could ever threaten us.

And through baptism, that same risen Christ has claimed you as His own. Not because you felt it or decided it, but because the Holy Spirit worked through water and God's Word to give you forgiveness, life, and salvation - a promise that doesn't waver with your feelings.

Today, bring to mind the person or situation that tempts you most to reach for that default document. Instead of retaliating, ask: how might the Holy Spirit use gentleness and respect in this moment to point someone else toward Christ?

You don't have to manufacture the strength. It has already been given to you - in the Word, in your baptism, in the gospel of a Savior who never gave up on Peter, and who will never give up on you.