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| It is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. |
| —1 Peter 2:15-16 |
Angry voices rarely solve any problem. That’s a fact that seems hard to learn, at least for me. But, I realize that if I am going to try to improve the conditions of life around me, I need to approach life with a much more gentle spirit than is my natural inclination. If I have come to this realization, perhaps you have, as well.
In the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post, the Apostle Peter is concerned that the Christians to whom he is writing seem surrounded by words that come from the mouths of individuals who are ignorant of the truth. In fact, Peter specifically calls their words “ignorant talk.”
Furthermore, Peter urges those receiving his letter to silence the words spoken by these ignorant people by doing good. And, we know from other Scripture that the “good” that Peter is writing about comes directly from God. In other words, Peter is not asking his readers to practice ordinary and random good works. He is specifically asking them to seek God’s will and do those good actions that God places into their hearts and minds.
Peter also reminds these Christians that they must live as those whom God has freed from the shackles of sin. They have been set free by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, Peter insists that they live as free people should live. He urges them to not use their freedom simply as a cloak, or cover up, for evil deeds done in secret. Rather, they should live the way true servants of God would live.
One of the main characteristics of godly living is humility. And, at least in my own experience, true humility is a characteristic that is developed over a long period of time. Don’t think for a moment that true humility is simply bowing your head and backing away from praise. No, true humility is not a self-effacing, self-deprecating, self-loathing appearance where one could just as easily be displaying a lack of self-esteem, rather than genuine humility.
True humility builds on a foundation of surety. The more genuinely confident an individual is, the more that one can recognize that whatever gifts he or she may have actually originate from God. Therefore, any feelings of accomplishment they may feel, any praise they may receive, any sense of gratitude from others actually belongs to God. By always giving God the credit that He is due, an individual can learn how to begin to display true humility.
God wants to not only give His dearly loved children talents, abilities, and gifts, He wants to help them develop characteristics that will clearly mark them as belonging to Him. So, part of the process of becoming holy—the process that Bible scholars call “sanctification”—arises through developing spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, and spiritual characteristics that bring honor to God and extend His hand to those around us.
I invite you to join me in asking God to continue to work in our lives His perfect will. May He help us become the people He wants us to be. May He use us as instruments of His mercy, grace, and love. And, may He—and He alone—receive all the praise and honor for what He is doing in us and through us.
