The Wednesday Word 6.07.2023
1 Peter 2:18-25
New Living Translation
18 You
who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not
only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. 19 For
God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust
treatment. 20 Of
course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong.
But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with
you. 21 For
God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered
for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. 22 He
never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 23 He
did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 24 He
personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to
sin
and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. 25 Once
you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you
have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.
I have known folks who just can’t
let things go. If they have been wronged, you had better believe they are going
to make sure and set the record straight. They are compelled to let everyone
know how and why they plan to get satisfaction. It may very well be that you
are going to hear them recount the incident until the dawn of time. It seems to
me that the only one who really suffers is them. Peter reminds us that Jesus
did not dwell on insults or attacks, but left these matters for His Father to
judge. Paraphrasing what Jesus said in Matthew 10:14, if people just don’t get
it then just shake the dust from your feet as you move on. It is hard for us to
let it go when we feel we are the victims of injustice or unfairness.
Ultimately, the message is for us to always do what is right and good in God’s
eyes, even when our nature might cry out to strike back. We must learn to
conduct ourselves as God would want, instead of allowing the behavior of other
people to dictate our own…something to pray about.
Don’t forget to look for the Lord
today. Vicki H.
Comments
Post a Comment