May our suffering draw us nearer to His suffering: A lesson on 1 Peter 2
Reading 1 Peter 2 yesterday, I came upon many profound truths that Peter presents to us in his messages. As he instructs us on how we should live, he simultaneously encourages us with the ultimate example: what Jesus has already laid down for us.
11 "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."
Peter reminds us that:
-By doing good we shall "silence the ignorant talk of foolish men."
-We should desire to be blameless (it's about God being seen through our good works and righteousness -- not us).
-We are to live as servants with this freedom we have been given, not to abuse the liberty and pervert it by doing evil.
-We should love the brotherhood of believers. Love one another deeply, from the heart.
-We must fear God.
-We are commanded to honor our authorities.
One of the verses that stood out to me immensely in this reading is as follows:
18-19 "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God."
Peter informs us that suffering for doing good is actually commendable. It is not about how fair a situation is or what the world says that we should do. It's about what God sees. It's about having the depth of faith to realize that our good works (when paired with faith) are not in vain. When we seek a fleeting reputation in the world, we tend to lose sight of our eternal reputation in heaven.
The most essential message in this chapter is that Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we may follow in His steps:
23 "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."
Rather than seeking retribution, Jesus submitted His life to the Lord. He let God fight His battles for Him. He knew full-well that the Lord sees every individual and will give to each person according to their deeds (We need not let our sticky hands get involved in the judgement.) Jesus released control.
This last verse got me thinking: When we suffer abuse in this life, may we ponder what Christ endured and allow our suffering to bring us closer to His. This is an ideal time to be in awe of Him and His sacrifice. This can be a moment of our highest worship in our deepest suffering because Jesus suffered the ultimate tribulation -- the whole world's sins on His shoulders.
You see, society will tell us to toil, to labor, to spin. It will tell us to work to vindicate ourselves. To clear our own name. To justify ourselves. Yet, even Jesus in His ultimate power and glory knew that He needed not do this: God is the only one that needs to justify.
"See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." -Matthew 6:28-29
God takes care of us in every aspect of the word. We need only trust Him -- the One Who gives and takes away.
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