Seeking Right Relationships Series

We quite often hear alarming reports about declining education. Tests scores dropping for students. This is a serious matter that needs to be addressed.

But there is another finding that is serious but does not receive the same attention. When discovering why those fail at their jobs their employers rarely list troubles with reading, writing or arithmetic. In the great majority of the time they fail at their job because of poor people skills. They fail because they do not relate well to their boss or their co-workers or customers.

When I graduated from college I went through a series of what are sometimes known as stress interviews. It is common for these interviews to last eight hours moving from one interviewer to another. In all those interviews they never asked me a single question about trigonometry, algebra or calculus.

They asked me questions like, how are you at 22 years of age, never having worked a day in the factory, going to supervise people who have worked here for 35 years? These are people skills questions. That is what makes or breaks a worker on the job.

Then when I finally land my dream job at Quaker Oats supervising workers who have been there 35 years they send me off to a supervisor training center in Chicago. I don’t remember any instruction at this training on computers, or calculating line performance percentages. Instead we discussed how to confront a factory worker who had a serious case of halitosis. How to solve the problems this was causing with his co-workers.

Peter deals with relationship issues in this passage. You can’t really get more practical than how to relate well to people. Peter the impulsive fisherman seems like an unlikely seminar leader for how to win friends and influence people.

In Luke 22:32 Jesus prayed for Peter that he would be strengthened and build up his brothers. This whole book written to struggling persecuted believers seems to be an answer to Jesus prayer. Peter traveled with his wife 1 Corinthians 9:5 and that showed his priority on relationships.

Peter speaks of three types of relationships that when running smoothly will help you love life and see good days. These are relating to fellow Christians, antagonistic unbelievers and your relationship with the Lord.

1 Peter 3: 8-22

8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,

“Whoever would love life

and see good days

must keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from deceitful speech.

11 He must turn from evil and do good;

he must seek peace and pursue it.

12 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.”

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts set apart 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, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Relating to fellow Christians vs. 8

Peter has been addressing various groups like husbands, wives, slaves but now he says all of you, addressing all believers. He says live in harmony with one another. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity (Psalm 133:1).