You Too Were Chosen To Suffer
Dear friends, you are
outsiders and strangers in this world. So I'm asking you not to give in to your
sinful longings. They fight against your soul. People who don't believe might
say you are doing wrong. But lead good lives among them. Then they will see
your good works. And they will give glory to God on the day he comes to judge.
Follow
the lead of every human authority. Do it because the Lord wants you to. Obey
the king. He is the highest authority. Obey the governors. The king sends them
to punish those who do wrong. He also sends them to praise those who do right.
By doing good you will put a stop to the talk of foolish people. They don't
know what they are saying. God wants you to stop them.
Live like free
people. But don't use your freedom to cover up evil. Live like people who serve
God. Show proper respect to everyone. Love the community of believers. Have
respect for God. Honor the king.
Slaves, obey your
masters with all the respect you should give them. Obey not only those who are
good and kind. Obey also those who are not kind. Suppose a person suffers pain
unfairly because he wants to obey God. That is worthy of praise. But suppose
you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honor
you for that? Of course not. But suppose you suffer
for doing good, and you put up with it. God will
praise you for that.
Christ suffered for
you. He left you an example. He expects you to follow in his steps. You too
were chosen to suffer.
1 Peter 2:11-21
Many
people used to ride on credit, and maybe they made their payments on time, and
maybe they did not. Today, people are more careful. They know they have to earn
credit. The same principal applies to the credibility of our own lives. We
can’t buy it. We have to earn it.
The
way to earn credibility is to live honorably. Then others will believe and
glorify God.
If we take care of our character, our reputation will
take care of itself.
Our Daily Bread –