1Peter 2 is talking about the fact that people are here temporarily and warns us to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Have you ever felt the conflict of wanting things of the world while not being able to dedicate much of yourself to that higher calling? I sure have and do. It is a battle about wanting to have a great job to get those great things I want. Thinking back when I did have a great job, there was very little thought about much more than having all the stuff I wanted. Even if I did have some of the things I wanted, eventually I wanted better ones. It was a vicious cycle. Contentment was elusive and the more I made, the more I spent and the more I accumulated. It is funny that often times when I tried to find something I hadn't used in a while, I couldn't even find it because of all the new stuff.
Have you ever prayed for God's will or wondered what it is? I have and now keep a notebook by my Bible so that when I run across scriptures that flat out tell me, I write it in the "His will" section. Chapter 2 gives us one of those flat out insights into His will for us. Verse 15 tells us, "It is God's will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.For you are free, yet you are God's slaves, so don't use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and "Love" your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God and respect the king.
You want to know part of His will for your lives? Here is it is "live an honorable life". Back in Peters time, Christians were being slandered and accused of doing evil. Living an honorable life, living by the words that you speak will make those making accusations look foolish. I imagine when we live honorably, we have a higher level of credibility when accused. In the long run we are protected by who we are, what we stand for and how we live. Not a bad idea.
Loving your brothers and sisters and respecting everyone is part of living what we believe and use to describe our faith. Saying one thing and doing another degrades our credibility while loving as we say we believe makes us doers of our faith not just talkers of it.
In verse 19 we see that God is pleased with us when we do what we know is right. We are to always do the right thing, even if we endure unfair treatment. I see it as doing the right thing even if it costs us somehow. Doing the right thing is not always easy but it speaks words to those who are watching, and they are watching as we all know. Talk about doing the right thing no matter what the cost! That is Jesus example. He was obedient to the Father and obedient to the ruling authority at the time. He did not argue or accuse. He stood there, and even though it was all lies that condemned Him, He did what He had to do. In that He did what He came to do. He walked a path to the cross. A path made of lies and wrongdoing yet one that spoke louder than any word He could have uttered. We can choose to walk that walk or chase after things of the world. Many years ago I read a book that follows 2:21, "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps. Think about that, follow in His steps! What a goal that is! By the way the book I mentioned is one of the greatest books I have ever red. It was one of those life changing books. The title is "In His Steps" by Charles M. Sheldon. I highly suggest reading it if you have not already read it. You have heard the saying, "What would Jesus do"? That idea was birthed in that book. (ISBN 9780800786083 ) It has sold more than 30,000,000 copies and is a classic.
In chapter 3 Peter spells out how husbands and wive interact and how all Christians should live. Again we are told to love each other. To not repay evil for evil rather pay them with a blessing. Such a life lived will result in you being blessed. He watches over those who do right and is "open" to their prayers. He instructs all to share their faith in a gentle and respectful way (3:15-16) and not to be harsh, judgmental or pushy.
As we look for a take away, perhaps if we ask the question, What would Jesus do? How would He approach this situation? How would He deal with the person making your life miserable? Good food for thought this week. Now that we have some food for thought, we need to begin to implement it, don't you agree?