May 31
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WHEN YOU DO WHAT’S RIGHT AND SUFFER FOR IT
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person endures grief when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. – 1 Peter 2:18-20
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In these following passages, Peter builds a case on the importance of being subject to your masters in all respects. He clearly identifies the condition for submission. You also submit to those who are harsh. The world would question this concept of submission to authorities. We have been so brainwashed to think that it is our rights to speak our minds and disobey those who do not deserve to be honored and respected. In God’s economy, authority and submission is key in living a life of peace and order. This is why we need to obey because God has put all these people in authority in position and allowed them to be leaders. When we rebel against leaders or authority figures, we are also defying God himself as Paul says in Romans 13:1-2.
In verse 19, Peter stresses the importance of withstanding grief when being treated unjustly: It brings the person favor because God honors it when we suffer silently. It also grows our faith and character. James mentions in his letter about the importance of suffering in the development of our faith and character in James 1:2-3. He says that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness.
In verse 20, he brings about a very important teaching about suffering patiently for doing what is right. It brings favor from God. We all know that patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we can’t do it without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The bible dictionary defines patience as the quality of self-restraint or of not giving way to anger, even in the face of provocation; it is attributed to both God and man and is closely related to mercy and compassion. In other words, we cannot be able to be patient without knowing God’s character. God is love and only in love can we restrain ourselves from walking in the flesh. We can only have the fruit of patience if we are in Christ. We can never in our own strength produce such fruit. Only the Holy Spirit can.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think doing right and suffering for it is not an easy thing to do?