SATURDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2023
TEXT:
1 Peter 2:11-17
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.
13:
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the
emperor, as the supreme authority,
14:
or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to
commend those who do right.
15:
For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of
foolish people.
16:
Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live
as God’s slaves.
17:
Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor
the emperor.
(New
International Version Holy Bible)
TOPIC:
STRANGERS IN THE WORLD
Christ said that
Christians are strangers in this world, although you are in the world but you
are not of the world. As strangers, this world is a temporary residence as we
have a permanent home in heaven. So, Christians should not live as if they will
remain here forever.
Rather, they should
live lives that will deflect the hostility of the world by abstaining from
sinful desires (vs. 11c), do good deeds and glorify God (vs. 12), submit to every
authority either in the church or the society - knowing that they have power to
punish any act of disobedience (vs.13-14) and should not abuse any freedom or
be rude to people (vs. 15-16) but show respect to everyone (vs. 17) in order
that our actions would be above reproach (cf. Matthew 5:16).
These should not be
compromised because we must obey God rather than man (cf. Acts 5:29).
QUESTION:
Are you living as a stranger or do you feel that everything ends here on earth.
PRAYER:
Lord God, help me to live on earth as a stranger by shunning every evil and
never allow me to compromise my life through evil, in Jesus name. Amen.
Remain
Blessed
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