January 24, 2023 | Be On Mission
We Are God's People, Yet Subject to Others
Scripture: 1 Peter 2 (NIV)
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 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.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Devotional
Peter opens this chapter by challenging you to grow up in your salvation. There you have it. Grow up!
There is nothing more precious than a baby! Lisa and I raised four babies. Now we are experiencing beautiful baby grandchildren. No offense, but ours are the cutest. Yet no matter how adorable I think they are, I would never want them to remain like that forever. Their main job is to grow up!
As such, Peter reminds us that we are called to grow up in our salvation, to grow into our true identity. He reminds us that we are chosen by God, precious to Him, living stones in God’s spiritual house, a holy & royal priesthood, a chosen people, and God’s special possession. Which of these descriptions do you need to grow up and reflect more in your life?
Remember that the recipients of Peter’s letter were people who lived in a hostile culture. As with every child who grows up, they were subjected to the lure of sinful desires and the oppression of hateful bullies. Rather than telling them to run away, Peter challenges them to live admirably among the sinful pagans and submissively under the evil authorities! He even challenged the Christians who were slaves to endure wrongful beatings with a good conscience.
As a role model, he lifts up Christ, who was subjected to horrendous insults, suffering, and torture on the cross. Peter calls us to follow in Christ’s steps of suffering. This had to be great comfort to the persecuted Christians to whom he was writing. It is to us as well.
In what ways have you been accused, insulted, rejected, or even tortured for your faith in Jesus? When this happens, how should you respond? What does it mean that we are called to “die to sins and live for righteousness?”
Poem
Apothemenoi—to put aside
1 Peter 2: 1
Sometimes
My car gets messy
Trashed this and that
Discarded straw covers, wrappers
Used napkins and tissues
Fast-food debris
Stuff
Too hurried to throw away
Too lazy to tote inside
Too tired to sort through
Clutter
Sometimes
My desk gets junky
Opened correspondence, letters
Reminding lists and sticky notes
Tedious task piles
Disorder
Too rushed to sort out
Too boring to be a priority
Too demanding to think through
Mayhem
Sometimes
My life gets dirty
Deep-rooted bitterness
Covering lies, secrets
Negative evil gossip
Habitual exhausting habits
Chaos
Too proud to confess
Too unfocused to confront
Too comforting to put aside
Sin
