An Honorable Life

Friday, May 1, 2020

For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed.  For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.  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.  Respect everyone, and love the family of believers.  Fear God, and respect the king.  1 Peter 2:13-17

Adolph Hitler, the Fuhrer of Germany in the early/mid 20^th century was a passionate man who had little or no compassion for others.  He knew what he wanted to accomplish, and his actions proved his methods built a life and legacy without honor; the man was a monster.

It matters WHAT you accomplish with your life, but, frankly, it is just as important, and perhaps, more important, HOW you do it.  All the good (supposedly) intentions in the world are useless unless they are met with actions which honor the good you intend to do. 

It is said that an honorable life is where integrity for doing right meets living.  Peter expressed this in six memorable words:  Fear God, and respect the king.  Of course the word “fear” means to honor, or revere, in the sense that we keep in mind God is sovereign, holy, and almighty; we fear (or honor) God, by not neglecting God’s way in our own actions.  In so doing we put to silence foolish accusations.

There have been plenty of movements in recent years that are honorably conceived, such as Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and others of social-justice, that have plenty of strong basis in Scripture.  Accomplishing racial, gender, and economic parity in the realms of freedom and human dignity are goals worthy of Godly standard.  But, as stated previously, HOW these are achieved are also vitally central to the results.  When a protest against some ungodly oppression, or practice of one group toward another turns ugly, there is little honor for our God. 

A prime example of this is the collapse of decency and restraint in the early 1990’s when the “Rodney King riots” in Los Angeles errupted over a police chase and savage beating of the suspect was caught on video.  The ensuing inconclusive action by the legal system preciptated violent riots in which more than 50 people lost their lives over 6 days.[1]

It is one thing to protest violence, but when your protest is conveyed by violent means, it isn’t fighting fire with fire; it’s adding more unholy fuel to a raging downward spiral of hatred, fear, and unleashed evil.

The apostle Peter had a moment like that in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Judas led the Roman Guard to arrest Jesus, betryaing the son of God with a kiss on the cheek.  Peter protested by swinging his sword and cutting off the ear of Malchus, servant of the High Priest[2].  Peter’s intention to prevent the crucifixion of Jesus was righteous; his actions were not.  Had Jesus not stopped the hostilities by healing Malchus’ injury, there might have been a dozen crucifixions that day.  Added violence never solves anything; it certainly can neve be called “honorable” in anyone’s life.

For You Today

The difference between loving peace and making peace is as wide as night and day.  Loving peace merely requires thinking and supposing you’re right in the way you conceive peace ought to look.  To be a peace maker requires putting your motives and methods on trial in your heart every waking moment, and living with what the court of conscience rules.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO 

Title Image:  Military.com      Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For other posts on 1 Peter 2 see Honorable Behavior Part 1 and Part 2

---

[1] Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles Began on This Day In 1992

[2] John 18:10

No Counter-Punch

[i]

                                                                                                 Thursday, August 25, 2016

Finally, all of you should be of one mind.  Sympathize with each other.  Love each other as brothers and sisters.  Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.   Don’t repay evil for evil.  Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you.  Instead, pay them back with a blessing.  That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.  For the Scriptures say,

“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.  Turn away from evil and do good.  Search for peace, and work to maintain it.  The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.  But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”   

1 Peter 3:8-12^(NLT)  

I’ve never gotten much enjoyment out of watching a boxing match.  Now there’s a big surprise; I despise confrontation, and, frankly don’t have a thing for getting my lights punched out!  Some people enjoy the sport; I don’t.  I don’t judge those who do, but I would point out that professional boxing, as professional football, basketball, and just about every other professional industry is about blood, not sport.  And remembering the word professional, money is one of the roots of all that evil.

The fisherman-turned-apostle, Peter said Christians ought not to be counter-punchers, returning evil for evil.  Rather, we are to keep a humble attitude and even take it a step farther than the counter-punching of handing someone back their head…but repaying the evil some would do to you with the kindness of blessing.  Peter didn’t dream this up; his idea of conversation was to cut off someone’s ear ^{(John 18:10)}.  Jesus had to set Peter straight; living by the counter-punch was to die by it as well.

So Peter learned to turn the other cheek, and he encourages us to do the same.  Keep your tongue in check from counter-punching those who annoy you, and keep your actions in the light of Jesus’ example.  He never returned evil for evil, but found a way to take the other person’s attempt at a knockout punch and turned it back on them as a blessing.

Not easy, right?

Who said it would be? 

Christianity is not the Kindergarten of human relationships.  Learning to live like Jesus means moving towards a Master’s degree of wisdom, higher purpose and incredible restraint.  The weapons are prayer, Word and a learned lifestyle of humility.

There’s your target…not finding the other person’s weak spot with your hostile counter-punch!

For You Today

There is a distance that is roughly the same as how far the East is from the West which separates evil from good.  The world will admire you if you are a scrappy, don’t-take-anything sort of counter-punching “winner”. 

But heaven approves the one who offers kindness in return.  That’s what Jesus did when He came to offer peace, joy and forgiveness…and we hung Him on a cross.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

---

[i] Title Image:  By Wayne Short [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Malchus' Ear

December 17, 2013

Would you like to have the kind of confidence in your life that lets you live with an untroubled heart?  Malchus must have lived that way. 

But, it wasn’t always that way.  

If you recall, the night Jesus was arrested, Malchus was in the posse.  He was only a servant, but he was betraying the Son of God.  Peter sprung into action, but he had terrible aim.  He took a swipe with his sword intending to cut Malchus in two, but missed…he just got an ear.  Jesus stopped the fiasco, picked up the ear and put it back on.

Now the Scripture doesn’t let us in on what happened further, but can you imagine the scene at the Malchus house that night? 

Mrs. Malchus:   “How was your day?”

Mr. M.:  “You wouldn’t believe it.”

Mrs. Malchus:  “O come on; we never talk anymore.”

Mr. M.:  “Well, alright…I went to help arrest this trouble-making Jew, a prophet they called him.  There was a little trouble.”

Mrs. Malchus:  “Are you alright?”

Mr. M.:  “Yeah…I wasn’t, though.”

Mrs. Malchus:  “What do you mean?”

Mr. M.:  “It’s kind of difficult to explain.”

Mrs. Malchus:  “Will you come out with it, already?”

Mr. M.:  “Okay, okay…one of the prophet’s men, a big one with fire in his eyes took a swing at me with a sword.”

Mrs. Malchus:  “Oh my…are you sure you’re alright?”

Mr. M.:  “Yea……uh, well….actually the big slob cut off my right ear.”

Mrs. Malchus:  “What…let me see…..hmmmmm…looks ok to me.  You've been drinking again, haven't you?”

Mr. M.:  “No, no, I swear!…it was off!  I saw it on the ground.  Look at this blood on my sleeve.  That prophet stopped the big guy and picked up my ear.  Then he touched me and the ear was back on; not even a scar.”

Mrs. Malchus:  “Look, if you just don’t want to talk when you come home, say so…you don’t have to try to make me out to be a fool.  Cutting off your ear, putting it back on.  Come on, dinner’s ready.”

Mr. M.:  “But….but….”

From then on…

Malchus may have had difficulty living with a troubled marriage, and with anyone else who didn’t believe his story, but I guarantee that from that day on he knew – he knew who Jesus was.

Today

Do you live with the assurance of Who Jesus is? 

Is He more than an historical character? 

Is He more than a good man, wise teacher or prophet? 

Is He anything less than everything?

If He’s not that in your life, He can be.

One prayer – one commitment begins an eternity of “ear-certain” relationship with the one who heals cut-off ears and anything else standing between God and you.