Living for Jesus
(NIV) Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society
1 Peter 2:11 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.
This letter, written by Peter to Jewish and Gentile Christians scattered throughout Asia, may seem foreign to us as he urges the readers to live holy lives among the pagans but, it may be more relevant than it seems at first look. I am not wanting to be judgmental, but look at our society today.
A pagan is defined as one who is non religious or, more harshly, as a heathen. The pagans in Peter’s culture were readily identifiable by their practices. They worshipped idols made by their own hands, sacrificed animals to please these man-made gods, and then ate the meat offered to the idols, something a Jewish Christian would avoid at all costs. Peter encouraged the recipients of this letter to set a good example which would glorify God.
I feel like a stranger in a foreign land. I could list things in our society that are offensive to me as a disciple. Instead, I commit myself anew to lead a life before God and others that glories in being a child of God. I purpose to be kind to others, even to those whose behavior is anathema to the gospel of Jesus Christ, not to show my support of their actions, but to show them how Jesus changes hearts and lives.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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