Submit – Me From the Inside Out

based on the Love God Greatly Study, Triumph over Trials / w2d4

THE JOURNEY (SCRIPTURE AND OBSERVATION)

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:13-17 and SOAP: verses 15-16

For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. ¹⁶Live as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God’s slaves.
1 Peter 2:15-16 NET

Peter continues his instructions on remembering that what we do matters—certainly with respect to the unbelievers but also, as he points out here, to those in authority over us. He breaks it down a little more in verse seventeen. From his focus on unbelievers witnessing our good conduct in our previous session, Peter’s focus broadens to include all people, the family of believers, God, and the king. The NLT translation says it like this: “Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.“

Granted, there may be many times we are tempted to question or, at the very least, wonder why we should respect or honor the ‘king’/governing authority over us; after all, they don’t always lead well. Bibleref.com addresses this very natural question by believers something like this: Though we are foreigners here on earth, we have not been granted immunity, but instead, we are called to submit to every human authority—why? Peter clearly answers this question in verse thirteen of chapter two, when he says: – “for the Lord’s sake.” That’s right, we submit to all authority on earth for the sake of our Sovereign God – and we do so because we love Him and we understand that “the reputation of Christ is built by us, His followers.“

Peter makes it clear that we are not to submit to the world authorities simply because we deem them to be good or right – neither are we to rebel against them simply because we find them full of flaws; but rather we are to submit to their authority over us because God calls us to and to show that Christ is good. By doing so, the good that we do will silence the foolish people. Thus, Peter encourages us to live as the free people we were created to be—doing what God wants and not the evil we would otherwise do.

LIVING THE JOURNEY (APPLICATION)

It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.
1 Peter 2:15-16 NLT

God wants us to live honorable lives, lives that are obedient to His Lordship over us. He intends for us to live as the free people he arranged (John 3:16) for us to be. For through the death of Christ on the cross and His victory over the grave, those who have placed their faith in Christ have been set free from the law of sin and death, (Rom 6:14-15). God even sent His Spirit to live in us so that we would be equipped to live the holy life He has called us to live. (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Pardon the redundancy, but Scripture says it many times, so I believe it’s worth repeating here one more time. What God doesn’t want us to do is use our blood-bought freedom as an excuse to do evil, saying as I have heard many say: It is my Christian liberty to do what I want, go where I want, say what I want, and the list goes on. However, to believe these statements is to misunderstand the freedom we have in Christ. Paul said it like this in his letter to the Galatians: For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. Remember, God wants us to live as representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ. God wants the good we do to reveal Him and His Spirit in us. This is why we are commanded to love others, just as Jesus has loved us, John 13:34-35 — “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ³⁵Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Honor all people.
- That’s a broad statement, but it also makes life very simple for believers. Instead of picking and choosing who is worthy of our respect, God’s will for us is to give respect to every single person. Will everyone deserve such treatment? Obviously not. But Christians are supposed to be known as people who give respect to others because of our obedience to Christ. Period. Bibleref.com
Love the family of believers.
- Second, love the brotherhood or the family of other Christians. Again, this is a blanket statement. Peter doesn’t mandate strong feelings here. He does not say, “like each other.” He describes action—an act of the will to give love to every other Christian. Jesus said that the world around us would know we are His disciples by our love for each other (John 13:35). Peter likely has that in mind here. Bibleref.com
Fear God.
- When used in reference to God, the word fear is not necessarily a command to live in shrinking terror of God, afraid that at any time He may decide to crush us. God has already demonstrated His love for us and promised us an eternal place in His family. But Peter’s command reminds us to continue to hold His power, majesty, and sovereignty in awe and wonder. We are to continue to fully submit to Him as humble servants, or “slaves,” as in the previous verse. Bibleref.com
Honor “King”.
- Finally, honor the emperor, or king. Again, the emperor or king may not be an honorable person. In fact, the emperor at the time Peter wrote this was probably Nero, a definitively evil leader who persecuted the people of God. Still, the command stands. As Paul wrote, there is no authority not established by God (Romans 13:1). We give honor and respect to the king as free and foreign citizens answerable to the authority who allowed the king to come to that throne. Bibleref.com

Question FOR THE JOURNEY

How can you use the freedoms and resources that God has entrusted to you to be a blessing in your community and reflect God’s love and grace to others?

PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY

Father, we are your servants. We do not belong to ourselves for you bought us with a high price, even the price of Your only begotten Son’s life. We are forever indebted to You for the freedom You purchased and the love You have lavished on us. It is by You and for Your sake that we live and have our being and we are to reflect You in all that we do. As Paul said, we are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are to give thanks to You through Him. Thus, we are to live as He lived, love as He loved, and obey/submit to Your will as He did – and in doing so – Peter says we will silence the ignorance of foolish people. Father, help us to live as the free people You have created us to be, not using our freedom for evil but for the good, You have called us to do, which is to honor all people, love the family of believers, live in reverence to You, and honor the authority over us, for in this Christ will be seen and You will be glorified! – In Jesus’ name – Amen.

THE MORE WE KNOW

Wonderful insight on these verses is available at the following links by biblerefcom:

https://www.bibleref.com/1-Peter/2/1-Peter-2-13.html

https://www.bibleref.com/1-Peter/2/1-Peter-2-14.html

https://www.bibleref.com/1-Peter/2/1-Peter-2-15.html

https://www.bibleref.com/1-Peter/2/1-Peter-2-16.html

https://www.bibleref.com/1-Peter/2/1-Peter-2-17.html

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

I’ve had some twist and turns lately that have caused me to remember these words from Proverbs chapter three. Words that instruct the child of God to trust in Him with their whole heart and warn against leaning on their own-human understandings. This isn’t always easy. Life comes with detours and road blocks and catastrophes that range from cracks in the road to canyons that engulf.

I’ve run into a bit of this unexpected rough terrain in recent months. It’s terrain that led to the emergency room and follow-up tests and procedures and complications leading to more test and procedures. So far the medical end of it seems to be ok but can’t, or I’m told shouldn’t be left unchecked. However the billing and insurance side of the roadmap have proved to be canyons or perhaps, better stated, insurmountable mountains. Yet this one thing I know and have faithfully been reminded of – both by God’s Word and the remembrance of His provision in the past: When the way seems insurmountable or the road impassable – even then – God can make a way.

It would be easy to panic, and trust me, the phrases – “there’s no way” and “how in the world” have rolled off my tongue or at the very least through my mind with every bill and every reminder from the insurance company “not covered!” BUT GOD‘s Spirit whispers the sweeter reminder: “Nothing is impossible with God” and “God will make a way where there seems to be no way … rivers in the desert you will see … “. Yes, He’s been faithful to provide a Savior for our unbelievable deliverance from sin and death – but we can also trust Him to provide for our physical needs as well – even the seemingly impossible ones! Why am I so sure? Because, I know He cares for me! (1 Peter 5:7) … Because I know He holds the future … because I know what He has already done for me … and because I know His promises of eternal life and a straight path when the way seems impossible – are yes and amen in Christ Jesus.

The wisdom of today’s verse is not just an encouragement but a divine promise. In submitting our ways—our decisions, dreams, and dilemmas—to God, we are promised not just any path, but a straight one.
OurDailyVerse.com / on Proverbs 3:5-6

Is it any wonder this treasured hymn of my heart came flooding through my mind and spilling out in tears as I finished this blog – may it speak volumes to your soul as well. – Me, from the Inside-out 🦋

Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for heav’n and home; When Jesus is my portion?
My constant Friend is he; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me.

Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free; For his eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on his goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path he leadeth, But one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me. [Refrain]

His Eye Is On The Sparrow / Author: Civilla D. Martin (1905)

Tag: Submit

For The Lord’s Sake