The Good Life
Who of us doesn’t aspire to it, or hope for it at least?
Just imagine… A
life of settled worries, fulfilled dreams, and a high measure of financial
security and personal safety. It’s the
American Dream on some levels.
The whole package dangles out there in society like a
carrot on a string – like Elmer Fud trying to lure Bugs Bunny…into a trap.
A Trap?!
Hmmm, maybe the good life we imagine for ourselves is not
necessarily the best “good life” after all?
Or further in and greater still, maybe it isn’t what God has in mind for
us?
Peter says to live
the good life.
For reals?
For reals! 1 Peter
2:12. Read it for yourself.
In fact, he says to live such a good life in and among
the unbelieving world around us that, when they see the good life we live,
they’ll wonder and think it couldn’t possibly be solely us.
Something else is at play there.
That kind of living is all too different than anything I’m familiar
with.
That kind of living must be of something other than – far greater than –
them?
And guess what? IT IS!
Listen, Christian, here’s truth: God chose you to belong to Him.
God hollered into the darkness for you to come to
Him. When you didn’t come running, let
along answer back, he ran to you, picked you up, and carried you into the light
of His life; the good life. He gave you a name and clothed you in
splendor and set you apart as His. Now
you belong to Him.
That’s all true about you. Read it for yourself in 1 Peter 2:9-10. That’s the good life! And Peter says to
live that good life day in and day
out.
When the world around us is all in a huffle, running down
a dream…
(of
self-fulfillment or
-actualization or
-centeredness or
whatever other “self”
focused moniker is trending)
…that’s been labeled variously over centuries and sold
short to every generation since the gates of Eden closed behind Adam and Eve, you, Christian, live different.
Reality is, that stuff the world is chasing down is all
too normal and commonplace. No one bats
an eye at folks who sell out for the American Dream, supposing that’s where the
good life is realized. Everyone is doing
it. No one notices sameness. Instead, folks
notice different. And those folks who notice aren’t always kind
toward different.
Peter says live the good
life; the true life he describes in verse 9 & 10, and folks will accuse us
of doing wrong.
That’s not how you do it!
Look around.
No one else is living like that.
That’s wrong; you’re wrong.
They’ll see the good life we live and notice it’s so
completely other than the supposed good life they know that they’ll accuse us
and chastise us and put us down.
That’s different.
That’s strange.
Who do you think you are?
Well, we’re different.
We’re strangers. That’s who Peter
tells the Christian we are. Read it for
yourself in verse 11.
But in the end, Peter says, it’s all going to be for
God’s glory.
Church folks always say things like…
Do it for God’s glory
Live for God’s glory
Play for God’s glory.
Well, here’s a Bible passage – 1 Peter 2:9-12 – to stand
those quips upright on. You see…
God is glorified
when an unbelieving world
looks at us
only to find Him.
That’s the good
life, Friend. Not a piece of
American Pie on my plate, and all that our society says that ought to
represent. But rather, living different,
standing back, and watching as God is more fully glorified.
One thing though:
What could “different” look like?
One word:
Submission.
More on that soon.
Comments
Post a Comment