From the Home Place

July 3, 2026

Greetings! Starting at 54, headed for, with a possible thunderstorm this afternoon; this ought to be an interesting day to work outside.

When a person undertakes to study the life of Abraham (Genesis 12-25), you soon discover that God gave Abraham several important promises. God promised to build many nations through Abraham’s linage, but more importantly, God promised to use Abraham and his sons to develop the nation we now call Israel.

Next, God gave Abraham a promise that would impact the rest of the world. In Genesis 12:3 we read God’s declaration, “And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse.” Thus, the importance of blessing Israel.

However, for today we want to visit about Genesis 12:2, “And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing. Now turn to 1 Peter 3:8, “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;” Wow, that’s enough of a challenge for a lifetime, isn’t it? Just think about it, if every Christian would follow these five guidelines, we would live in a very different world!

Remember the article this past week that challenged each Christian to live a life that is balanced with biblical truth, not cultural preference? Well, now, read 1 Peter 3:9 with that writing and Genesis 12:2 in mind, “Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead, for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” It looks to me like if you desire to receive a blessing from God, then give a blessing that reveals God’s nature at work in your life – stop fighting and arguing with those who challenge your life.

Hopefully you have walked with God long enough to notice that He requires His children to do things quite the opposite of the culture in which they live. Instead of trading insult for insult and evil for evil, we are told to do just the opposite if we want God’s blessing! Our culture leads us to expect a blessing, and then if we receive such a blessing and if we should want to, we can share the blessing with those around us who bless our lives – you know, our family members and close friends.

Yet, God’s word tells us in 1 Peter 3:8-9 that we are to give a blessing to those who don’t like us so that God can then bless us. Man, you talk about being anti-cultural, to give a blessing before you receive a blessing, that’s crazy! How can I give something that I don’t possess?

But you see my friends, we too often consider a “blessing” as something tangible – more money, more property, more fame. But in 1 Peter 3, God is saying that because we have already received the blessing of being called His child, we are to bless others with our Christ-like attitude; and that possessing the attributes mentioned in verse 8 is our blessing!

Think about it, do we naturally possess the attributes of “harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted and humble in spirit?” NO, I sure don’t! Oh, we might pull one or two of them off once in a while, but to live there day-after-day; man, what a blessing that would be! But you see my friends, as God’s children, indwelt by His Spirit, guided by His word, encouraged by other believers – it is possible for each of us to reveal such attributes on a consistent basis.

To live the life mentioned in 1 Peter 3:8, we would have to be like the Apostles Peter and John. Those who condemned them knew that they had been “with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13) For you see, if a person spends enough time with Jesus, that person will begin to be like Jesus, “not returning insult for insult” – but will start to live 1 Peter 2:23; “entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Summary; if we desire God’s blessing, we must first be a blessing by living a life that is contrary with the culture within which we live. When we live in “harmony” with those around us because we have already received the blessing of forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, then our loving Heavenly Father blesses us for revealing His nature to those around us.

Choosing to be anticultural with you, Neal