"For 'Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of The Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of The Lord is against those who do evil.' " 1 Peter 3:10-12 (NIV)
Here in these verses the Apostle Peter quoted Old Testament scriptures, Psalms 34:12-16, as he gave the people instructions on how to enjoy a long, full, joy filled life, even in a hostile environment. He told them not to lie or use deceitful speech. They should turn away from their evil sinful ways, and do that which is good and righteous in the sight of The Lord. He also told them that The Lord God sees and hears all, and He will answer the prayers of the righteous, but turn His wrath on those who do evil.
This is one of the series of Bible verses which could be sub-titled "Guidelines for Christian Behavior" or "Good Advice For Christian Living". Some of the other series of verses which could also be so labelled are Psalms 15:1-5, Psalms 34:1-19, Psalms 37:1-24, Romans 12:9-18, and 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18. The message to us in these verses is clear, we must not make false statements, or speak evil about or to others. We must turn away from evil activities and do that which is good and right. We must pray, seek The Lord, and obey His Word. We need to develop a humble and loving attitude towards everyone, and we need to turn away from our sinful ways, and seek to do His will. (2 Chronicles 7:14) Let us not worry about the sins of others, but let us pray for help with our own sinful behavior. (Matthew 7:3-4 and Luke 6:41-42)
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