"Do Right, Even When You Are Wronged" - 1 Peter 3:8-12

8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9 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. 10 For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. 11 “He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it. 12 “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” - 1 Peter 3:8-12 NASB

     After giving instructions to servants, wives, and husbands, Peter now broadens his lens to every Christian.  He calls us to be harmonious, to work together with and partner with those around us in peace.  He calls us to be sympathetic, to understand and empathize with those around us, and to be conscious of their feelings.  He calls us to be brotherly, to treat those around us as if they are our own family.  He calls us to be kindhearted, ready to take care of the needs of others.  He calls us to be humble in spirit, not exalting ourselves above anyone else but viewing ourselves as less important than others.
     Verse 9 is again a restatement of Paul's writing in Romans, "do not repay evil for evil, but overcome evil with good," which we referenced earlier in our study.  Our natural instinct is to seek what is "fair."  When someone wrongs us, we often wish the same wrong be inflicted on them, even though it does nothing to heal the original wrong that was committed against us.  God's call is higher than our natural instincts, and we are called to bless those that insult us.  We are called to seek the good of those who seek our destruction.  We do it because we trust God to be our righteous judge.  We allow ourselves to be taken advantage of because we know God will take care of us.
     Peter goes on to reference Psalm 34 as support.  This passage basically says that if you want to live a long life and be blessed, then you must seek peace.  You must keep yourself from evil, even in the midst of evil treatment.  God favors those who do right, and opposes those who do evil, so if you wish to prosper, do what is right.