Mon.'s Devo- Silencing the Foolish
Read 1 Pet. 2:12-15
I can tell we are not going to get through this very quickly because this chapter is full of rich teaching. Verse 12 starts out with "having your conversation honest among the Gentiles." Our conversation is our behavior, which is to be honest. Honest in the Greek means beautiful, valuable, and virtuous. I like "valuable". I don't think Jesus was much into small talk unless it was going to lead to something of substance. His time was too short to waste on menial trivia. He came with a mission and a goal; to fill his disciples with as much truth as they could contain then die for the sins of mankind.
Peter tells us that those of this world will speak against us and think we are evil, but the good works that they see us do will cause them to glorify God when their final judgment comes.
One of the greatest ways we can do this is found in the next verse: submit yourselves to every (EVERY) ordinance of man for God's sake. That is easy to do when the leader is a Christian but a challenge when he is not. God raises up leaders to punish evildoers and praises those who do well. It is God who places all men in authority so our testimony to the world is how we honor those in authority and order our conversation to match that submission.
By the way, we went to that house and I did share with them from Ps. 91 and they were receptive. Now it is in God's hand to do the miracle. Last night we were coming home from a service at a friend's church and I asked Dave what time it was and he looked at the clock and said "9:11"!
Thank you Lord for confirmations and for watching over your word to perform it. Watch over our mouths and let us be people who speak life and live a life that glorifies you for your word says that if we do it will silence the ignorance of foolish men.