1 Peter 3:9-11 “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. For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 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”

We live in a world that suffers from an insult epidemic. Like six-year-olds, people defend it by saying, “But he was mean to me.” To find people who follow Peter’s instructions here, don’t look to the politicians, the press, or the people who post on social media. They all live by trading insult for insult. More and more it seems that Christians are getting sucked into the same way of interacting with the people with whom they disagree.

Do you know who has a little clue about how to respond? Customer service. It turns out that when there is money to be made, even the world can trade blessing for insult, respond to attacks by making peace. At the company where my wife works, they teach managers to deal with customer complaints using the acronym BLAST. It stands for believe, listen, apologize, satisfy, and thank you. It settles the customer down, sends them away happy, and brings them back to spend more money in the future.

For God’s people, answering insults with blessing is not about making money. It is about our call. “To this you were called,” Peter says. We have been specially chosen and selected by God for a special purpose. We were no different than the billions of other people on the planet, and yet in his grace God called us. He did not repay evil for the evil we have done. Our whole lives may have been a slap in his face, but he did not trade insult for insult. He is the ultimate peace-seeker.

Earlier in his book Peter reminds us, “When they hurled their insults at him, he (Jesus) did not retaliate; when he suffered he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on tree.” Jesus kept his own mouth shut so that he could carry our sins at the cross. And since that time, God’s every word to us has been peace. His answer for our every sin is, “Your sins are forgiven. It’s like they never happened. I don’t see them anymore.” He sent parents and pastors and personal friends to preach it to us. Through them he promises, “ I have reconciled you to myself. I have called you and made you my very own.” By cleansing us of our sins and claiming us for himself he has made us different people, new people, God’s people.

Doesn’t that suggest a new way of responding to the people who may not have very nice things to say to you and me? “Do not repay…insult with insult, but with blessing…keep (your) tongue from evil and (your) lips from deceitful speech…seek peace and pursue it.” When we talk like God’s people, good things happen. Anger turns to peace. Enemies become friends. We are a blessing to others.

And even though we may be passing up the opportunity to vent some anger or get even, blessings will come to us as well, “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.” God is looking out for you, dear friends. He is listening to your prayers, the things you have to say to him. You have nothing to lose by talking like his own people.