By David ReayThursday 14 Jan 2016LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read 1 Peter 2:12
12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbours. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honourable behaviour, and they will give honour to God when he judges the world. (NLT)
Christians quite rightly sincerely believe that the faith they hold is the one faith which does justice to God, which alone offers people life with God forever. Many see this as arrogance, but we have been warned that our claims to truth will be rubbished. Jesus himself was rubbished so we can expect something similar.
However, it is sadly true that Christians can bring some opposition on themselves. We can claim the truth in a way that diminishes others who disagree with us. We can refuse to see any good or any truth in other faiths when there is such good and truth evident.
Peter suggests we focus on living in such a way that even if people disagree with us or even treat us unjustly, they will not accuse us of gross hypocrisy or insensitive arrogance. The Christian writer Madeleine L’Engle puts it well:
“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.”
Blessings
David Reay