August 22 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

1 Peter 2:11-25:

¹¹Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
¹²Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
¹³Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
¹⁴Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
¹⁵For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
¹⁶As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
¹⁷Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
¹⁸Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
¹⁹For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
²⁰For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
²¹For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
²²Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
²³Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
²⁴Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
²⁵For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Devotional

Christ by his suffering and death redeemed us from sin and death. In this respect we cannot follow his steps. We cannot by our suffering redeem anybody. But because Christ suffered for sin (our sin), the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God; we should be willing to suffer for his sake, as Peter admonishes us: "Forasmuch as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." God's will must be done, and, if we suffer for Christ's sake, we should not think it strange, but we should rather rejoice. Peter says, "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffering; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you ... If a man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." We remember that Christ said: "Blessed are ye, when man shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven." "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." Christ has left us an example.

Prayer

O God, we would live unto Thee in joy and sorrow; but we must confess that in joy we are prone to forget Thee, and in sorrow and suffering we are inclined to doubt and fear, and even to murmur against Thee. We pray forgive us graciously. Help us to rejoice, if we are counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ, and enable us to sing praises unto God in the midst of trials and persecutions. Into Thy hands, O God, we commit the keeping of our souls. Make us faithful; help us to glorify Thee both in life and in death. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: 1 Pet. 3:18; 4:1, 3, 13, 14, 26; Matt. 5:11, 12; 1 Pet. 4:19.

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