Day 215

Respond like Christ’s example 

Key Verses: 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 24

Grow up! That is Peter’s message. He says we are to grow up into our salvation. What I hear him saying is that our salvation is bigger and more mature than we are. When we become Jesus-followers we are only beginning the process, just like an infant. The infant is totally human, but not fully grown and mature. If an infant stays an infant, we know something is wrong. So a Jesus-follower who doesn’t mature, who stays in malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander, has something wrong with their progress.

Fulfull your heavenly purpose here on earth. Declare God’s praises.

Do the right things so that when other people see it, they are seeing God in action and commend what you are doing. That is why we submit. We are saying that our God is so much greater, that submitting to you is not a difficult thing to do. We have already submitted to the ultimate authority, so submitting to you is easy. We have already totally surrendered, so raising our hands again to surrender is not difficult.

True freedom does not mean we can do anything we want. Verse 17 give us some left and right boundaries to our freedom. Our behavior and attitude need to be very different from those in the world.

And of course Jesus is our supreme example. He was insulted and he didn’t have any comebacks. He just took it. That can be really hard to do. Could you imagine the debates without any comebacks? Political ads without any punch lines? That is what Jesus did when He was accused. He could have revealed all Truth those the world at that point, but He didn’t. He held back, knowing that someday every knee would bow before Him. Someday everyone would know the Truth about Him. Are you willing to let offenses be thrown at you and not retaliate because you know that someday the injustice of those offenses will be made known? Are you willing to trust God with the results?

The One who created the universe could have stopped His own suffering and turned the suffering on those who beat Him, and yet He didn’t. He could have made crowns of thorns for their heads, but He didn’t. He could have thrust those scourge whips against their backs, but He held back His hand. He could have prevented the nails from being driven into His hands and feet. He could have stopped the whole thing in an instant, but He continued because He know it was necessary for us. For us!

And why did He do that? He did it for our death. He did it so that we would die. And we needed to die. And He did it so that we might live. Die to sin, live for righteousness.