Freedom For Today

“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.'”

Yesterday’s post about peace came exactly at a time we needed it most — yet another senseless mass shooting that once again raises so many questions. Today’s verses are poignant in the midst of such a time when we are traumatized and fearful. Peter quotes a passage in Isaiah that is a message for our modern culture as well. In short, don’t follow the people around you when they speak fearfully — we know that the only one we need to fear is God himself (and he is on our side).

If we are eager to do good, we find protection simply in that. You will generally be in the right place at the right time instead of the wrong place at the wrong time if you are following God’s ways. But even if you find yourself in harm’s way, needlessly suffering through no fault of your own, God sees. And he blesses you. So we do not fear the threats of our world. We will not be frightened by evil in any form.

Here’s your freedom for today: evil cannot win the war. God is watching, waiting, intimately involved in the permanent rescue of this world. A redemption story above all other redemption stories. Yes, some days things look really bad. We wonder where God is in the midst of tragedy and pain. But if we believe the Bible at all — if we believe that God has revealed himself in its pages — then we must cling to our faith that he has already overcome. We do not see. He sees. We do not know. He knows. We are impatient. He acts at precisely the right times. If our faith cannot stand on a day like today, then it cannot stand at all.

Pray with me: Jesus, we cling to you today, sitting in your presence and hiding under your wing. We ask for healing and redemption for all those injured and for the families of those who perished in Las Vegas yesterday. We repeat your words with great urgency: may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

“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.'”

Psalm 34 shows us how different it is to be a child of God. Peter quotes the psalm here and reminds us that God’s ways give us a better life. “Get ahead by being honest!” said no American commercial ever. This message is counter-cultural. Turn from evil. Do good. God’s blessings will pour back on you when you pour them out to other people. In God’s kingdom, the more you spend, the more you have.

Peter says, “Search for peace, and work to maintain it.” That’s how hard peace is to keep around here. According to the New York Times, over the past 3,400 years of recorded human history, only 268 of them have been without some kind of war going on. No wonder we have to search for peace. We are looking high and low for something very missing in our world. And once we find it, be ready to work to keep it. The spiritual powers of darkness will not give up easily.

Here’s your freedom for today: God is on the side of peace. He opposes evil. He gives a long, happy life to those who turn away from evil. In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” If you are a child of God, then search for peace. Make peace where you cannot find it. Do the right thing — God sees your heart. He’s listening to your prayers for peace. He’s on your side when you fight evil. Don’t give up.

“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.”

There is so much packed into this one verse I just couldn’t move on to another verse until I sat with this one. At first glance, you read the words and think, “Ok, yeah, that’s sounds nice. Pretty good Christian stuff there…” But then the second time around, perhaps a little more slowly, you may start to ask yourself questions like, “How do we do that?” or “Wait, really? Like, how often?”

Let’s pause on “one mind.” Does that mean we have to agree on everything? Are we doing that? Do Pentecostals and Baptists and Methodists and Catholics really have one mind? Then there’s “sympathize”… What is sympathy? Is it the same as empathy? “Love each other as brothers and sisters…” Just take a second to think about your siblings and consider whether that is a good blueprint for what Peter may be talking about. “Be tenderhearted…” So does that mean I need to be a big, squishy marshmallow and let people walk all over me? Keeping a “humble attitude,” okay maybe sometimes, but keep it? For how long?

Here’s your freedom for today: real love is simplicity in the midst of complexity. Is it hard to figure out all the things this verse is talking about? Are we really able to pull it off? When we break it down, it seems impossible. But that’s exactly the point. Supernatural things are not possible from an earthly perspective. Being of “one mind” is only possible because the Holy Spirit has infused us all with the mind of Christ. Sympathy, in addition to “pity,” is defined as “understanding between people; common feeling.” Humility is an others’ first attitude, which was demonstrated by Jesus. Do you see the pattern here? Jesus never made anything seem all that complicated. He just loved supernaturally, forgave supernaturally, and healed supernaturally. If you are trying to be a “good Christian” in the natural realm, you are going to be a total hypocrite. It’s the only outcome. But loving supernaturally? It’s the power of the Holy Spirit effortlessly moving mountains and hearts in the midst of you pulling up a chair next to someone different from you.

“In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”

Ok, men, spotlight’s on you today after a couple days of exploring the spiritual power of women. Yes, that’s right ladies, hopefully you realized from the last two posts that your power lies in the imitation of Christ. Now here’s where things get interesting and we see once again that the kingdom of God is nothing like earth. Essentially, men have the same opportunity for spiritual power that women have: honor your spouse. Be an understanding person (no one ever minds that…).

One of the greatest sentences in all of the Bible is right here in this verse, and it may be one that rubs you the wrong way until you look at it carefully. It says a wife “may be weaker” than her husband, which was true then and in some ways is still true (even though I really cannot stand anyone calling me “weak”). Women in Bible times had very few economic opportunities outside a connection with a husband. Today, there is still sexism and gender discrimination. Women are not as privileged as men. But notice what the kingdom of God is like: a woman is an “equal partner in God’s gift of new life.” Equal. In every spiritual gift. On top of that, men, if you are not treating women as equal partners your prayer life will be in trouble. Turns out God doesn’t play by earthly gender rules.

Here’s your freedom for today: the kingdom of God is an equal opportunity realm. Men, women, slaves, masters, Jews, Gentiles… It doesn’t matter who you are. Step into God’s gift of new life through the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus himself and you are in. That’s it. Just take the gift. You are not better or worse than anyone else in God’s kingdom. That’s why comparing ourselves to others is completely unnecessary and even harmful. It’s also while limiting the roles of women (or men) in the church is harmful. There is no such thing in God’s kingdom. So men, go out and be the most honorable men you can be in the power of the Spirit. Women, chase after eternal beauty and use the power of peacemaking to usher in the kingdom. Be every single thing God made you to be.

 

“Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.”

Ladies, we’re still in the spotlight until tomorrow’s post. But guys don’t gloss over these verses — they matter for you too. Everyone in our society has a messed up view of women. Women objectify women (including themselves); men objectify women (including their wives). We claim to be liberated, but even women who appear empowered often continue to sexualize themselves or others. There is virtually nothing in American culture that gets it right on women.

So let’s talk about beauty. If we think about everything we know about the divide between flesh and spirit — earthly and heavenly — we know that some things last and some things don’t. We know that with money, we can’t store it up for ourselves because it doesn’t make the trip to heaven with us. Beauty is the same. Genuine beauty is eternal. It cannot fade. It cannot streak down your face or rip or break. Both Christian men and women need to reject earthly definitions of beauty that are simply rotting away.

Here’s your freedom for today: the beauty of your spirit cannot fade. Ladies, what is your view of yourself? Men, what are you placing value on when you look at women? Makeup, clothes, shoes, jewelry, and even our earthly bodies do not make it into the kingdom of God. Kept in perspective, these things may have some basic use here on earth. But let us not use earthly things to co-opt the definition of an eternal reality. Perhaps the most beautiful thing ever seen is a redeemed soul deeply abiding in the Holy Spirit. A life transformed. The fruit of the Spirit embodied and lived out both in public and in private. Jesus was beautiful. Esther was beautiful. Abigail was beautiful. Sarah was beautiful. Deborah was beautiful. Your free self is beautiful.