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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, June 12, 2017
Today's Passage : Today's Passage: Subject: Subjection to Earthly Masters Bible Verse:1 Peter 2:18-25 (ESV) "Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. " Message:
Today, Peter's message begins to get tough. It is easy to follow, but hard to swallow. And yet, his argument is unassailable, because what he asks is for us to act like Christ.
Peter tells us to do what our employers tell us to do and give them full respect, and not only if we have a good boss, but also if we have an unfair, mean boss. He asks us, in effect, to recreate the suffering of Christ in our daily lives.
The reason he gives is that we get no credit for suffering under a bad boss if we have misbehaved. If we profess Christ, however, and our boss mistreats us, both God and our fellow man will see our suffering as an example of Christian goodness.
This is a really, really hard principle to follow, for our pride is inflamed if we think we are treated unfairly. One only needs to be around small children to see how fiercely a human being resents the smallest hint of unfair or partial treatment.
If we indulge ourselves, even a small instance of wrongful treatment by an employer (or other person in charge of us) can become an enraged obsession. Another example of how furious our reactions can become is to follow a dispute involving a labor union. The rhetoric often becomes hateful and violent, and the violence can become physical.
You will probably not hear these verses in church, and if you do, you probably will not hear a sermon supporting and explaining it; for this is completely at odds with the worldly principle of "fighting for our rights". But Peter call on us to fight for Christ, not for our "rights". When we think we must choose between Christ and ourselves, we choose Christ; for by serving Christ, we benefit ourselves beyond measure, beyond anything that this world can give to us.
If you watch closely, you can see examples of a person following this principle every once in a while. In the baseball strike of 1981, Dale Murphy, the most famous and beloved player for the Atlanta Braves and a devout Mormon, could not bring himself to join the strike. (Luckily, both the team and the Players' Association respected his faith and did not put him in the position of crossing the picket line.)
Meditation : [How does piety involve serving others?] Prayer : Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made me one with your saints in heaven and on earth. Grant that in my earthly pilgrimage I may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know myself to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. I ask this for the sake . Amen. |
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