1 Peter 3:16b
Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.
This is an incredibly challenging verse. Peter is speaking to a church that is going through an incredible persecution, and giving them advice on how to suffer.
When we suffer, we often become quite self-absorbed. At least in my experience, a time of suffering is a time to lay aside other well-intentioned efforts. If I’m going through a very stressful time at work or school, I’ll “reward” myself with a doughnut as compensation for the other difficulties in my life. Or if I’m experiencing some challenges in my pastorate, I’ll lay aside personal Bible reading, rationalizing that “I’m reading enough of it now at work.”
Yet Peter stresses that our moral conduct is perhaps most important during times of suffering. Why? Because it is then that the integrity of our witness matters the most. It is our ability to suffer with humility and perseverance that marks us as God’s children, as surely as Jesus’ suffering confirmed him as God’s Son. If we cannot suffer without lapsing into old habits, the world will see through our façade and recognize that we are not Christ-like when it matters most.
In what way do you tend to self-medicate during suffering? In what way do you tend to lapse when under pressure? I urge you to consider putting it aside, that the world may see Christ shining more brightly in you.
This is an incredibly challenging verse. Peter is speaking to a church that is going through an incredible persecution, and giving them advice on how to suffer.
When we suffer, we often become quite self-absorbed. At least in my experience, a time of suffering is a time to lay aside other well-intentioned efforts. If I’m going through a very stressful time at work or school, I’ll “reward” myself with a doughnut as compensation for the other difficulties in my life. Or if I’m experiencing some challenges in my pastorate, I’ll lay aside personal Bible reading, rationalizing that “I’m reading enough of it now at work.”
Yet Peter stresses that our moral conduct is perhaps most important during times of suffering. Why? Because it is then that the integrity of our witness matters the most. It is our ability to suffer with humility and perseverance that marks us as God’s children, as surely as Jesus’ suffering confirmed him as God’s Son. If we cannot suffer without lapsing into old habits, the world will see through our façade and recognize that we are not Christ-like when it matters most.
In what way do you tend to self-medicate during suffering? In what way do you tend to lapse when under pressure? I urge you to consider putting it aside, that the world may see Christ shining more brightly in you.
posted by Rev. Michael Jordan at 4:01 PM
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