WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.900
Day 353, or December the 19th. How to live a

00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:09.000
good Christian life. Our thoughts today come

00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:13.800
from 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 17. Show proper

00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:17.420
respect to everyone, love the family of believers,

00:00:17.780 --> 00:00:22.940
fear God, honour or respect the Emperor. And

00:00:22.940 --> 00:00:26.530
now the big picture surrounding this verse. It's

00:00:26.530 --> 00:00:29.609
fascinating to read the writings of Peter, bearing

00:00:29.609 --> 00:00:32.369
in mind that they come from one of our favourite

00:00:32.369 --> 00:00:37.070
disciples, Simon Peter. As a Galilean, Peter

00:00:37.070 --> 00:00:40.090
would have grown up speaking Aramaic in the home,

00:00:40.189 --> 00:00:44.250
and Greek in business, so his Greek would probably

00:00:44.250 --> 00:00:47.109
have been okay for writing letters like the ones

00:00:47.109 --> 00:00:50.689
that bear his name. The Greeks and then the Romans

00:00:50.689 --> 00:00:54.439
influenced Galilee. This resulted in violent

00:00:54.439 --> 00:00:57.840
reactions that produced a stronghold for the

00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:01.000
zealots, who were guerrilla fighters against

00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:05.739
all non -Jewish influences. Peter writes his

00:01:05.739 --> 00:01:08.659
first letter at a time of Roman persecution,

00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:12.959
as Christianity is outlawed in a vain hope of

00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:16.590
eradicating it. He encourages all believers to

00:01:16.590 --> 00:01:20.569
be holy, love one another, and submit to secular

00:01:20.569 --> 00:01:25.530
authorities, as they are under God too. And now

00:01:25.530 --> 00:01:29.409
today's action step. Peter attempts to sum up

00:01:29.409 --> 00:01:32.590
what it is to live a Christian life in three

00:01:32.590 --> 00:01:37.739
words, respect, love, and fear. The message version

00:01:37.739 --> 00:01:40.579
of the Bible joins these simple thoughts with

00:01:40.579 --> 00:01:43.920
other surrounding verses and renders the passage

00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:47.879
as, Make the master proud of you by being good

00:01:47.879 --> 00:01:51.400
citizens. Respect the authorities whatever their

00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:54.260
level. They are God's emissaries for keeping

00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:58.620
order. It is God's will that by doing good you

00:01:58.620 --> 00:02:01.920
might cure the ignorance of the fools who think

00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:05.799
you're a danger to society. Exercise your freedom

00:02:05.799 --> 00:02:09.979
by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat

00:02:09.979 --> 00:02:13.400
everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual

00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:19.039
family. Revere God. Respect the government. In

00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:21.539
these times when people shrug their shoulders

00:02:21.539 --> 00:02:23.939
if they are challenged to live in a Christian

00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:27.659
-based society, by asking, what is that exactly?

00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:31.620
These words summarize it beautifully. Respect,

00:02:31.740 --> 00:02:36.400
love, and fear of god these basics challenge

00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:40.199
all of us care to join me as I try to reflect

00:02:40.199 --> 00:02:40.699
them