DECEMBER 28, 2012
Wind
And Fire
Read: 1
Peter 2:9-17
Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
—1 Peter 2:17
Sometimes
when I want to start a fire, the wind puts it out. But when
I try to keep a
fire burning, wind keeps it going. So, in the first situation,
I label wind
“bad” because it thwarts my plans; in the other, I label it
“good” because it
helps me accomplish what I want to get done.
This
paradox illustrates how we judge things by the way they affect us.
We declare
circumstances or people “bad” if they thwart our plans or
cause us
inconvenience. We judge circumstances or people “good” if we
agree with them
and they support our cause.
But
God is the One who determines what is good or bad, and He does
so not by how it
affects our plans but by whether or not it accomplishes
His. His plan is that
we would be “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His
own special people.” And
His purpose for us is to “proclaim the praises
of Him who called [us] out of
darkness into His marvelous light”
(1 Peter 2:9).
To
accomplish God’s good purpose, we are to respect all people, love
other
believers, fear God, and honor those who rule over us—even when
something
doesn’t seem good to us (v.17). These kinds of actions may
fan a spark of
belief in those who observe our responses to “bad”
circumstances and most of
all bring praise to God.
Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here.
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. —Berg
When things look bad, remember God is good.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
