…but god… Episode 161
Transcript
“Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God on the day of visitation.”
1 Peter 2:11-12 NASB2020
Peter encourages us to do good and to stay away from sin, not because we have to be perfect to follow Jesus, but because as follows of Christ our every move is being watched by the unbelieving person.
When we act from a fleshly point of view rather than from the Holy Spirit point of view we give fodder to the fire of the unbelievers. They say “look at the ‘Christian’ why would I want to be like that.” However, when we use the power of the Holy Spirit and resist temptation we bring glory to God, remember what the prophet Micah says “With what shall I come to the Lord And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the Lord take pleasure in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give Him my firstborn for my wrongdoings, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:6-8 NASB2020
We are God’s wittinesses when we show restraint and peace during times of unrest, remember Jesus said; “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9 NASB2020
Also, when we praise God in the midst of tragedy. As the Psalms so often remind us (Psalm 23, 40 and 119) or Psalm 121 “The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time and forever.”
Psalms 121:7-8 NASB2020
In all cases when we act by seeking God first, we show the unbeliever God’s mercy, through the peace and love of Christ. This is how we win people to Christ, this is how we are to follow Christ.
Lord we praise your mighty and incredible name. We thank you for eternal forgiveness, we confess our sins and we forgive those who have sinned against us. Give us the strength and peace to follow you first, to seek you first, now and always, so that our lives can be a wonderful witness to those who do not know you! We pray all these things in Jesus Name Amen…
Shalom, Shalom blessings Press in and Press on!
Hosted by Chad McBeam
