The Battle is Won

1 Peter 2:20-24

Mixed martial arts (MMA) has developed quite a following over the past 25 years.  The first UFC fight was held November 12, 1993 and #235 is set to air next weekend.  That’s a lot of fights!

I know Peter wasn’t referring to these kinds of brawls in today's reading, but it did make me think about men and women who voluntarily take a beating.  I can’t speak for the fighters, but I’d venture to say they do it because they’re passionate about their “calling.”  The beatings come, not because they did something wrong, but because it’s what they train to do.

Verse 20 tells us suffering for good is commendable before God, but it’s not God’s desire to see his children bleeding and broken.  He didn’t want to watch his Son’s blood poured out on the cross, but it was necessary because it was by those very wounds we were healed.  The battle was won.     

While I wouldn’t choose MMA as a career, I, like millions of others, can appreciate someone willing to put their body on the line.  If that’s the case, then shouldn’t Jesus receive the upmost appreciation for his sacrifice?  MMA won’t save souls, but Jesus surely will.  I encourage you tune in to the true Ultimate Champion.  You won’t be disappointed.

  

Red Rover, Red Rover, send...

1 Peter 2:9-10 (MSG) But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you-- from nothing to something, from rejected to  accepted.

I hated gym class. How about those awful gym-suits we wore back in the 50's? The biggest reason for my dislike, and one that stands out most is the recruitment process--waiting to be chosen for a team. My lack of athletic prowess was an understatement. While it may sound like a pity party, I was no one's first choice, nor second, nor third. Get the picture?

We can't all be first on someone's list of preferred teammates. To be honest, I would have been content to sit on the sidelines and watch the game from the bleachers. Looking back, it was silly to place my self-worth on a level with being picked first.

This school age experience makes the words in 1 Peter 2 valuable. "You are the ones chosen by God". Chosen by God? This a team I can play on. A team that needs me. I can tell others about the changes in me since meeting Jesus. 

Which team is recruiting you? Which team drafted you; picked you to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you?

1 Peter 2:9-12

Consistently Inconsistent

1 Peter 2:11-12

Ever been told to “lead by example?”  Reminded that you never know who’s watching and to be mindful of how your actions affect others?

As Christians we’re called to cast aside our selfish tendencies and serve as an example by following His Word.

Peter’s letter begins with the following verse:  To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, so we surmise he’s referring to Christians living amongst pagans in the Roman Empire. 

He implores them to abstain from sin and do good deeds.  He encourages them to be examples of a Christ-centered life. 

There are also some who interpret “foreigners and exiles” to mean Christians living on Earth.  We are in the world, but not of the world.  This planet is not our true home, Heaven is, and while we’re here waiting, we’re called to invite others to share in a life with Christ.

So what kind of example are we setting?  I can only speak for myself and say, my example is consistently inconsistent.  I try to do the right thing, but most often my words and actions are not His words and actions.  

Lord, help me be more consistent in the example I set. If I call you Father, may I live as your child, leading others to you.  Use me to show that this life isn’t “it.”  There is something glorious awaiting those who believe - eternal life with you.  Amen

      

A Tribute

Keith Agee was a classmate of mine, a friend—quiet, very bright, and a heck of a nice guy, off the football field, that is. On the field, he was a defensive coordinator’s dream—dogged, laser-focused, and loved to hit. One day in a scrimmage, Keith leveled the running back and then stood over him, laughing as the ball carrier writhed in pain there on the ground. It was at that point or soon thereafter that Keith, new in his faith in Jesus Christ, began to sense God calling him away from football. He had nothing against the game itself, nor did he feel others should follow suit; it was personal. The coach repeatedly tried to talk him out of leaving the team (who could blame him?), but for Keith it was a matter of hearing God and obeying Him. His teammates were disappointed, and he received some criticism, but Keith had such peace, humility and integrity about him—and he spoke of his new life in Christ with such joy and conviction—that he was widely respected and held in high esteem.

If ever someone lived life as though executing right out of the believers’ playbook, it was Keith.  We are chosen, says Peter, to be God’s people, that we might “proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We “abstain from the passions” of this world while loving the people of this world, living honorably, so that even those who speak against us “may see [our] good deeds and glorify God on his day of visitation.” That was Keith. One could look to him and know his God was real. I know I did. Though it was another 10 years until I came to peace with God through faith in His Son, it was the life-witness of Keith Agee and others like him that gave me hope and kept me going on the path to life in Christ.

Keith went on to become a pastor and today all five of his and Sally’s children are in ministry. Who can imagine his legacy, and now theirs? Three years ago, Keith left this world behind him and stepped into the next, victorious. It is difficult to imagine him any more joyful than he was here on Earth, but I suspect he is.

Immeasurable joy awaits us, as well. In the meantime, we, too, execute from the believers’ playbook like so many who have led the way before us, proclaiming God’s praises and living honorably, so that others see Christ in us and dare to place their hope in Him. May this be our legacy, too.

Lord God, shine through this life and through your entire church today, that others would see you and glorify you through faith in your Son. Amen.

[Click here to read today’s Scripture in 1 Peter 2:9-12 (ESV).]

From Rejection to Acceptance

1 Peter 2:9-10 (MSG)  But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—  from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

As a child I hated gym class.  There were a number of reasons but probably the one that stands out the most is waiting to be chosen for a team.  When we would be learning a new sport, basketball for instance, the leaders of the team chose who they wanted on their side.  While it may sound like a pity party, I was not anyone's first choice, nor second, third...you get the picture.

We can't all be first on someone's list of preferred teammates.  To be perfectly honest, if my pride wasn't so heavily involved, I would have been perfectly content to side on the sidelines and watch the game from that perspective. Looking back it seems so silly to have placed my self-worth on the line with being picked first. As an adult there are other things I attach to my self-image.  But I recognize they are the idols of my adulthood.

As I read from 1 Peter 2 and come across the line, you are the ones chosen by God, I take my breath in. Chosen by God, what does that mean?  Finally, a team I can play on that needs me, but it isn't play but work. What does it mean, to do his work and speak out for him? I was chosen, not for my own accomplishments.  The only thing I did was choose which team to play on.

Which team is recruiting your gifts?  Which team has drafted you, chosen you to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you?

1 Peter 2