Daily Manna · Day 261 · September 18
Called to Inherit Blessing
“Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”
Picture a woman standing in line at the pharmacy. A man speaks to her as if she were slow. About a second and a half later, the perfect reply comes into her head. It is not cruel, but it is accurate, which is worse, because it would stay with him for the rest of the afternoon.
Peter wrote this letter to Christians "scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia," five provinces of the Roman Empire, and many of them had very little power. Just before today's verse, he has spoken to household servants with harsh masters, and to wives whose husbands did not obey the word. If people like that had answered back, they would have lost the argument anyway. So Peter is telling them what to do with their words when their words carried no weight in the world.
"Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing." Railing means insulting, so this is about the small things, an insult answered with an insult, which is where most of this really happens. Then Peter gives the reason. He does not promise that it works, or that it will win anyone over. He says, "knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing." Look at how the word blessing sits at both ends of the sentence. You were called to give a blessing, and you were called to inherit one. Peter will not let you have one without the other.
So this week, may the sharp, accurate sentence stay unsaid. May the kind word you say instead cost you something real. And may the blessing God has called you to inherit reach you along the same road you send it down.
Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year two reading for day 261 is I Did Eat Them (Jeremiah 15:16).