"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." 1 Peter 2:12 (NIV)
Peter, the oft overlooked leader of the early Christian church (except by Catholics, who claim the Popehood throught Peter's appointment), points to Christ in this second chapter of his first letter written on the various doctrines and Christian life and duty. Christ is the model from which all else is based upon.....
Although throughout the second and third chapters of this letter, Peter talks of growth for believers, living good lives and submitting to the authorities appointed, I want to focus this time upon the twelveth verse, which seems to me to be one of the hardest things to do, which means its the simpliest.
I don't think this means, as Christians, that we are to forget our values at the polls when electing our public officials, nor the supporting of protests in regards to the decay of societial values and the persecution of Christianity....although God is indeed powerful enough to take care of Himself, He uses us to do such things. Nor do I believe this means we are to withdrawal from the world and stay in our own little isolated communities, called church, in which to point the fingers out at those who travel the darkness.
I think it means to be free, unencumbered by the despair of where the world is heading because we can strive to live good lives that are fulfilling and blessed by the Father. Think of it as a way of doing a job. If you are concerned with the outcome of the position, i.e. "being liked", "making the commission", or "getting the promotion", you are not concerned with doing it correctly or according to the standards we have emulated by Christ.
By focusing our concerns, our end goals, upon Christ and pleasing God, we become unencumbered by results and are free to live such blessed and Spirit filled lives that our pagan friends and detractors can only acknowledge that there is something that sets us apart......
In ancient Rome, even though Christians were ridiculed for separating themselves from pagan rituals honoring the Emperor and other false Gods, they were noted in the way they resisted the worldly pursuits....Not one was considered rabble-rousers or political revoluntionaries, even being noted for their community meetings in which they called upon each other to be accountable to pray for the Emperor, and obey the authority of the land.
So, instead of following the example of those who are labeled even by the Christian community as insurrectionists, we should follow the example of those early Christians, voicing our protests in a respectful manner and voting our values and morals, then holding our officials to them..
That they would know who's we are, not who we are.
No comments:
Post a Comment