Wise unto Christ, Foolish unto Evil

   -I-   

 

1 Peter 1:7-12

"May the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into."

(Two words paraphrased in first sentence)

The suffering and the glory of Christ, which are now reported unto you by those that preach the gospel, are things which the angels desire to look upon. If the angels desire to look upon these things, then how much more should we Christians, who easily forget and waver! The vision of Christ, His power and His glory, will be a bulwark, a sign, and a reminder to us. 

Jesus said that He would go with us always, that He would constantly be with us, wherever we go. But so often we fail to remember this, and fail to see Him. So, how can we put ourselves out there to "see" Jesus?

- Through firsthand experience in our own lives (how Jesus helps us)                                                                                                            

- Firsthand experience in ministering to others (how He helps others)

- Through the testimonies of others

- Testimonies in Scripture (all of the Bible is testimony of God)

 

 

 

 -II- I have also been disturbed lately by people who seem to complain of others being "sheltered". Don't get me wrong--I don't think that parents should be overprotective, or that children should be shut off from the world and all secular influences. But I do think that we need to orient ourselves and our views towards what God would think. In Romans 16:19 Paul wrote to his fellow believers that "I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple [ignorant] concerning evil."

Think about it. Every dirty joke, each sin-glorifying story, every scheme of evil, in God's eyes, is a smudge, a dark blob, a big piece of dirt on your complexion. Just one more thing that He has to wash off of you. It may not be something that you've done yourself, but now it's in your mind, and isn't going to go away without taking at least a little toll.

Romans 16:19-20 says "I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Did you catch that? Satan and his temptations, and all the fleshly things of the world, will lie bruised under your feet. This is the stuff that's been lying rotten on the ground for three days. Do you really want to put that in your mouth and partake of it? Do you even want to smell it?

1 Peter 2:5 says "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." The Message paraphrases this as "Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God." Do you get it? We are to be building blocks for the temple of God, our lives material for the construction of His sanctuary. We are the body and the temple of Christ. Our lives are to be a testimony of Him. Would Jesus watch the movies you watch? Would the books you read, the things you do, the petty sins you may indulge in--would they have any place in the House of God? Or would they be totally out of place, a rock of asphalt in the middle of a shining diamond? Would you be embarrassed to have some of your actions, or even your thoughts, displayed in the holy temple of God?

There is yet another reason we should "shelter" ourselves from the indulgent fleshly things of the world. 1 Peter 1:14-15 tells us (paraphrased) not to fashion ourselves according to the former lusts which we had in our ignorance, "but as He which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." And conversation isn't just what we say--it's also what we do, how we talk through our actions. 1 Peter 4:2 says that we should "no longer live the rest of our time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." This means that our time should be spent serving Christ, rather than trying to gratify our earthly desires. I'm not saying that you can't have any fun, and neither is the Bible. The point is that Christ must come first. He must be our first desire. To value any earthly object or experience more than Christ is idolatry. "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." - Colossians 3:5, NIV.

There is also a final reason to abstain from excessive earthly indulgence, especially indulgence of a worse kind. So why is it so important? Because people are watching you. People in the world, who don't know Jesus, and your example could either draw them in or cause them to turn away. 1 Peter 4:17-18 says "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" If we don't live our lives holy unto Christ, then how can we expect the world to? If we don't set a righteous example, then we have failed to share Christ to the full extent.

 

 

    Signed,

  Krysta. Denzer.                                                                                                       {Summer 2011}