Read I Peter 2:11-3:7

“Live such good lives among your unbelieving neighbors that,
though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your
good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
(I Peter 2:12)

Thoughts… One of the greatest examples given to us in Scripture of integrity is the Old Testament character, Daniel. Daniel is remembered best for his miraculous deliverance from the lion’s den, but what got him there in the first place was his integrity.

He was a man of such solid character and in disputable integrity that his enemies couldn’t accuse him of any wrongdoing, so they accused him of “right doing”. But God used Daniel’s integrity not only for his deliverance, but to shame his enemies and share his faith with the king of the Persian Empire.

Hopefully your integrity will not get your thrown into a lion’s den—although that does make a powerful testimony. But your integrity will open doors to share your faith with those who otherwise might not be ready to listen to the Good News.

In this verse, Peter says that your unbelieving neighbors will one day have to give glory to God if you live in such a way that your behavior matches what you’ve said you believe. That’s the irresistible power of the life of integrity. But that irresistible power doesn’t stop with just your unbelieving neighbors.

Even a godless society will have to take notice when, collectively, Christians live out what they preach (verses 13-17). So will people in the workplace. When you walk the walk in the marketplace, people who don’t even like you because of your faith will take notice of the God you claim (verses 18-20). And in the home, Christian wives will win their unbelieving husbands not by preaching at them, but by loving them as if they were loving Jesus himself. Likewise, husbands will really impress God if they love their wives as if they were loving Jesus himself (3:1-7).

It goes without saying that we need to be ready to verbalize our witness to unbelievers (3:15), but we will never be effective with our words if we first don’t have the witness of a life that matches them. And even when we are prevented from speaking verbally, there is undeniable and irresistible power just in the integrity of our lives alone.

Our lives are Gospel…or at least they should be! So go forth and do the Good News. Be Jesus—then you’ll have the right to talk about him.

Prayer… Lord, on this day, help me to so live my life that people will see you in me. Help me to be a person of such integrity that through the purity of my being, others will be drawn to you.

One More Thing… “Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.” —Oswald Chambers

Read I Peter 1:13-2:20

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so
that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”
(I Peter 2:2)

Thoughts… What do you crave? Perhaps like me, at various times you crave a variety of “things” — comfort, success, wealth, respect, power, relationships, and among them, the knowledge of God.

There is nothing wrong with any of those earthy “things”, if God grants them. But if growth in the knowledge and likeness of God is not your primary pursuit, then all of those other “things” will not only be unfulfilling, they will become a detriment to your spiritual growth.

The greatest “thing” in your life is your salvation. Nothing even comes a close second. All of these other pursuits are ephemeral, but your salvation is eternal. Obviously, therefore, growth in the knowledge of our salvation ought to be the number one craving in our lives. And the primary path to spiritual growth is the Word of God.

So the question Peter would ask is, “Do you crave the Word like a newborn baby craves milk?”

If your answer is “no”, then it is time to begin rearranging your priorities around the study of God’s Word. King David wrote in Psalm 119:36-37, “Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.”

If you want to take up Peter’s challenge, do what David did. He first prayed and asked the Lord to give him a new craving for the Word—stronger than any other earthy craving he had. Maybe you should pray that pray right now—and keep praying it until your cravings turn into a commitment to the daily study of the Bible.

But David not only prayed that prayer, he was then willing to subordinate all other desires as secondary to his love for God’s Word. All other things he saw as “worthless things” in comparison to Scripture. And he was willing to arrange his schedule around it; he was willing to get up before the day began to mediate on it; he was willing to make it the topic of conversation as he interacted with others; he was conscious of applying it to his daily life.

Perhaps a good assignment for you, if you are serious about Peter’s challenge, would be to make a study of Psalm 119, and list out the various ways that David made God’s Word a practical part of his daily life. And then make them action items for your daily “to do” list.

There is a story told about a proud young man who came to the great philosopher, Socrates, asking for the knowledge necessary to be wise. He said, “Great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge.”

Socrates, who recognized an disingenuous and arrogant numbskull when he saw one, led the young man through the city streets to the sea, where they walked chest deep into water. Then Socrates asked, “What do you want?”

“Knowledge, O wise Socrates,” the young man said with a smile. So Socrates put his hands on the man’s shoulders and pushed him under. Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up.

Again Socrates asked, “What do you want?”

“Wisdom, great and wise Socrates,” the young man sputtered. So Socrates shoved him under again. Thirty seconds passed…thirty-five…forty. Finally when Socrates let him up, the man was gasping.

“What do you want, young man?” the venerable old teacher asked again.

Between heavy, heaving breaths the man wheezed, “Knowledge, O wise and wonderful…”

Before he could finish, Socrates pounded him down under the water again. Forty seconds passed…fifty…a minute. “What do you want?”

“Air…I need air!” he gasped.

And then Socrates said, “When you want knowledge as you have just wanted air, then you will have knowledge.”

And when you want growth in the knowledge of your salvation just as you desire air, you will grow in the knowledge of your salvation. And everything other desire in your life will pale in comparison.

Prayer… Dear God, change my earthly cravings into an insatiable appetite for your Word. Lord, may all else turn my stomach in comparison to the sweetness of knowing you and growing into the knowledge of my salvation.

One More Thing… “The Bible is meant to be bread for our daily use, not just cake for special occasions.”

Read I Peter 1:1-12

“Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would
have given anything to be in on this!”
(I Peter 1:12, The Message)

Thoughts… Even before the Good News was announced at Bethlehem’s manger and authenticated at Calvary’s cross, rumors were spreading in heaven’s court that something big was about to happen. The Triune God had kept his plans for the salvation of mankind a secret from all creation—and it was really bugging the heavenly hosts. They were itching to know!

Little by little, as the time drew near, God began to release bits and pieces of the Good News, but never in completed form. The angels periodically announced to humans that something really big was coming, and the prophets prophesied the birth, suffering and redemptive work of Christ long before it happened, but always as if seeing “through a glass darkly.”

Then it came! Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died as God’s perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind, and rose again as Lord of life, Savior of the world, and ruler of the universe. But even then, the Good News was still a bit of a mystery to the heavenly beings (as it still is to the unsaved world), because the only beings who could truly grasp this mystery were the one’s who had been redeemed by it.

You see, only undeserving sinners who have been redeemed from sin and death can truly appreciate salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Angles cant–they can’t be redeemed because they can’t sin. Only humans have the free will to choose this amazing gift of God—and when they do, the mystery is grasped.

All the angels could do was witness it longingly from afar. They witnessed it when Jesus was born, when he died, when he rose, and when you received Jesus as your Lord. They know it is glorious beyond comprehension. But they can’t quite get their angel brains around it—and they envy!

How great a salvation you and I enjoy! No other creature can experience the greatest gift that God has made available in his entire universe. No other being but mankind can take part in the most powerful miracle of all—bigger than the creation of the worlds, bigger than the parting of the Red Sea, bigger than any other sensational miracle in the Bible—and that is the miracle of the new birth. God’s best miracle took place when your were born again!

Don’t take for granted this great gift God has bestowed upon you! Every heavenly being longs to understand what is now yours. On this day, take some time to appreciate God for “so great a salvation, so rich and so free.”

Prayer… Father God, forgive me for neglecting so great a salvation—for taking it, and you for granted. Thank you for this indescribable gift. How privileged I am, above all your created beings, to be the recipient of this undeserved miracle.

One More Thing… “There is no mystery in heaven or earth so great as this—a suffering Deity, an almighty Saviour nailed to a Cross.” —Samuel Zwermer