"For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:"
1 Peter 2:15
Peter mentions in this chapter that we should submit ourselves "to every ordinance of man" and also that servants should be subject to masters. With this verse in that context, it seems to me that he is explaining how God wants us to change things... not by returning evil for evil from bad governments or employers, but by doing good and doing things the right way. He even explains that it is glory to us if we suffer for doing the right thing... I think because he knows that when we do things the right way, we are sometimes going to suffer.
I think we too often risk becoming bad ourselves because we are frustrated with the bad around us. Thinking back to the parable in Jacob 5, this seems to be a similar idea. The more the good grows, the more the bad can be cleared away. And thinking about it that way, maybe it helps us not to feel as frustrated at the suffering or at the delay of justice that we see around us. All of this *is* part of God's plan, and this is the way that he wants us to work in the world. It helps us too, actually. Instant justice probably would have zapped each of us a long time ago. :) Delayed justice though helps us stick around and improve, and build good on good foundations, which God will support until it overwhelms the evil.
Seems overwhelming the other way around a lot of the time, I know. But I really don't think it is. I think God is willing to feed every spark of good and help it to thrive. Satan wants us to believe that it is impossible, and that he can stifle every good act and make it worthless... but he can't. This is God's call, and as God's servants, we can bring good things into the world and build good things, and help good things to happen.
Today, let's work on our faith and our trust in God's ways and in his timing. Let's trust his plan, and let's go about, doing all the good we can. Maybe we won't see the change in the world all at once, and maybe everything we try won't work, but we are planting trees that can last many lifetimes. Let's not be weary in well doing (2 Thessalonians 3:13), but let's work to fill the world with good, as God asks. :)
1 Peter 2:15
Peter mentions in this chapter that we should submit ourselves "to every ordinance of man" and also that servants should be subject to masters. With this verse in that context, it seems to me that he is explaining how God wants us to change things... not by returning evil for evil from bad governments or employers, but by doing good and doing things the right way. He even explains that it is glory to us if we suffer for doing the right thing... I think because he knows that when we do things the right way, we are sometimes going to suffer.
I think we too often risk becoming bad ourselves because we are frustrated with the bad around us. Thinking back to the parable in Jacob 5, this seems to be a similar idea. The more the good grows, the more the bad can be cleared away. And thinking about it that way, maybe it helps us not to feel as frustrated at the suffering or at the delay of justice that we see around us. All of this *is* part of God's plan, and this is the way that he wants us to work in the world. It helps us too, actually. Instant justice probably would have zapped each of us a long time ago. :) Delayed justice though helps us stick around and improve, and build good on good foundations, which God will support until it overwhelms the evil.
Seems overwhelming the other way around a lot of the time, I know. But I really don't think it is. I think God is willing to feed every spark of good and help it to thrive. Satan wants us to believe that it is impossible, and that he can stifle every good act and make it worthless... but he can't. This is God's call, and as God's servants, we can bring good things into the world and build good things, and help good things to happen.
Today, let's work on our faith and our trust in God's ways and in his timing. Let's trust his plan, and let's go about, doing all the good we can. Maybe we won't see the change in the world all at once, and maybe everything we try won't work, but we are planting trees that can last many lifetimes. Let's not be weary in well doing (2 Thessalonians 3:13), but let's work to fill the world with good, as God asks. :)
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