1 Peter

December 20

1 Peter

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 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." (1 Peter 2:11-12, NIV)

      Do you ever get frustrated with the direction the world seems to be going? Do you ever feel like you just don’t fit in? As followers of Jesus, we are citizens of another kingdom, we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul wrote that we are ambassadors for Christ. We are representatives of the Kingdom of God living in the kingdom of the earth. We feel like outcasts at times, because we are strangers in the world. We have different goals, different priorities, and different standards.

     Are strength comes from each other. Just as you may see people a certain nationalities gather together to support one another when they live in a foreign land, fellow Christians need each other for encouragement and support. The culture of this world will slowly wear you down if you do not do something to continue to build yourself back up in Christ. Through prayer God gives us strength, but we also need each other to come along side and support one another.

     If we remain faithful and true to the word of God, if we live by God’s standards instead of the world’s standards, people will take notice. You may face persecution, you may face ridicule, you may face accusations, but your good deeds will speak volumes to those you encounter. They will see the Spirit of God reflected through your life and someday, whether now or when He returns, glorify God for His goodness revealed in you.