No Curses in Heaven
By Jon Walker
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.
1 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
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It will take some getting used to, but there will be no curses in heaven.
We may find it strange, at first, to be in a place where there is no criticism, fault-finding, or mean-spirited judgment. We’re so immersed in the language of insult and put-down that we’ve become numb to its effect on us all.
Yet, the New Testament teaches our objective-in-Jesus should be to stop sounding like Satan, the accuser, and to start speaking in the language of love, encouraging each other into the fullness of Christ (Matthew 7:1-5; Romans 14:1-23).
Steve Pettit suggests, since Satan will have no voice in eternity, he shouldn’t have a voice in us now.
Experience should show us – particularly our own experiences of being criticized – that judgment never helps us mature or make significant changes in our lives. We become one with God’s work to transform others when we see them clearly, as God sees them, through the eyes of his perfect love.
The primary New Testament word for blessing is eulogia, which gives English the word eulogy: words or praise or tribute most often heard at a funeral.
But as Jesus-ones, our objective-in-Jesus is to start the praise and encouragement for others before they die! We say not to speak ill of the dead; why do we think nothing of speaking ill of the living?
When we speak well of others, we bring out the best in them as they respond to the love of God flowing through us. These are not words of flattery, which come with strings attached; rather, we speak words empowered by Jesus, speaking past the fear and downright meanness, calling others back to who they truly are in Christ.
When we bless one another, we draw attention to the One from whom all blessings flow. We experience a taste of heaven here on earth, only whetting our appetites for the full banquet yet to come.
If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.
