1 Peter 2

I lay in bed this morning pondering how the world had become filled with bad manners and evil words. How did we sink to such low places and still call ourselves Christians. How can we who have been forgiven so much forgive so little? We have become no different than the dog eat dog mentality that has taken over society. God help us all to rethink our parameters and rid our churches, homes and us of dishonor, lies, malice and contempt for anyone other than our own little group. This is where the Lord led me….What would Jesus have us do? 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

2 Therefore,  laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

"Behold, I lay in Zion

A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,

And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."

7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,

"The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone,"

8 and

"A stone of stumbling

And a rock of offense."

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake,
whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

22 "Who committed no sin,

Nor was deceit found in His mouth";

23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and 8Overseer of your souls.

The NKJV Study Bible says this: Jesus is greater than the traditions received from the fathers, He is greater than the temple in Jerusalem, and He is greater than the traditions of the Gentiles with their lifeless stone idols. The new building of God, of which Jesus is the Cornerstone, is living: it is the assembly of all believers, the church. Christians are part of God's great spiritual building project. "The word of the Lord" is the gospel message about the Lord Jesus Christ. This word can regenerate men and women. Those who trust in Jesus will never be embarrassed by making Him the focus of their lives. It is a "holy nation" and "special people" who are able to "proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light". It is our "honorable" conduct and "good works" that cause evildoers to glorify God. Peter forcefully commands Christians to submit voluntarily to governing authorities. He does not make submission a matter of personal conviction or choice. He decrees that it is an obligation for all Christians. The authority backing Peter's command for civil obedience is the God of the universe, the Sovereign Ruler over all citizens and governments and over all Christians and non-Christians. Our actions should make our accusers speechless, like a muzzle placed over their mouths. We should submit all our actions to God, for He is our Master. Our reverence for God should be the basis of our relationships with others. All people are created in His image, and He is the One who has placed some people in authority over us. Therefore we should treat everyone with love and respect. Christians are to serve even the worst of bosses with respect. Those who suffer faithfully but unjustly as a result of their service to God please Him. Such suffering has a great reward. Believers are not merely to survive the difficulties that come their way, rather they are to bear patiently their heavy loads. Grief here is not the result of loss but of being afflicted. There is no advantage to believers for successfully enduring a deserved punishment for wrongdoing, yet there is great value when we honor God with our actions when we are unfairly condemned by others. Endurance and perseverance in the face of suffering please God. Observing how Christ handled unjust punishment gives us insight as to how we also may endure such trials. Christ was perfect in everything He did, even when He was wrongly condemned to death by the world. In His thoughts and attitudes, Jesus was perfect. It is our sins that Jesus bore on the Cross. Thus our spiritual healing comes neither from Jesus' day-to-day sufferings nor from His sufferings that led to the Cross, but from the one ultimate wound—His death. . No one else is qualified to be the one Shepherd and Overseer of our souls—only Christ is.