A Race To The Top #RTTBROS #Nightlight
A Race to the Top
“Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”
— 1 Peter 3:9, KJV
There’s a dangerous temptation in human interaction: the urge to strike back when we've been wronged. A sharp word deserves a sharper one. A cold shoulder calls for even more distance. And before we know it, we’re in what could be called a race to the bottom—a back-and-forth of bitterness, offense, and escalating emotion.
But God calls us to something higher.
Instead of returning evil for evil, God calls us to bless. This isn't weakness. It's wisdom. Jesus said, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). He was inviting us to run a different race—a race to the top.
This path is not paved with pride, but with humility. It does not climb by cutting others down, but by lifting others up. It may seem, in the moment, that you're letting someone "get away" with something. But in truth, you're rising above it.
Escalation is easy. Elevation is hard. It takes the Spirit of God to answer anger with gentleness, to respond to cursing with kindness, to refuse the invitation to a petty fight and instead extend an invitation to peace.
I often remind my children: You don’t have to attend every fight you’re invited to. Just because someone sends you an invitation to conflict doesn’t mean you need to RSVP. God never called us to the battleground of petty arguments. He’s called us to the mountaintop of blessing.
Even when Jesus was reviled, He reviled not again. “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). He modeled for us the higher way—the upward path. And now, He calls us to follow Him there.
So today, don’t get in a race to the bottom. When the world pulls you down, invite others up. Respond in such a way that you point them—not to your pride—but to God’s peace.
Prayer:
Lord, help me today to resist the downward pull of offense and reaction. Fill me with Your Spirit so I may bless when I am cursed, and love when I am hated. Lead me in the race to the top, where Your grace abounds and peace reigns. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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