August 18. Hope to obey hard commands. Whoever desires to love life and see good days,

let him turn away from evil and do good. 1 Peter 3, 10 and 11. There is only one basic reason

why we disobey the commands of Jesus. It's because we don't have heartfelt confidence

that obeying will bring more blessing than disobeying. We do not hope fully in God's promise.

What did he promise? Peter passes on the teachings of Jesus like this. 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 turn away from

evil and do good. 1 Peter 3, 9 to 11. Peter following Jesus is not a shame to motivate obedience

to hard commands like not returning evil for evil. With the promise of greater joy,

bless those who revile you that you may obtain a blessing. Do you want to enjoy

everlasting life? Turn away from evil. Joy for all eternity awaits you. Is that not reward enough

to avoid the pleasures of vengeance now? You will always be better off to obey than to disobey

Jesus, even if that obedience costs you your life. Jesus said, truly I say to you, there is no one

who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands

for my sake and the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold in this time with persecutions

and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 10, 29 and 30. The only way to have the power to follow

Christ in the costly way of love is to be filled with hope, with strong confidence that if we lose

our life doing his will, we will find it again and be richly rewarded forever.